ECJ Article 2(1) and (3), read in conjunction with Articles 3(1) and 5(1) of Council Directive 76/207/EEC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions, precludes an employment contract without a fixed term for night-time work entered into by an employer and a pregnant employee, both of whom were unaware of the pregnancy, from being held to be void on account of the statutory prohibition on night-time work which applies, by virtue of national law, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or from being avoided by the employer on account of a mistake on his part as to the essential personal characteristics of the woman at the time when the contract was concluded.
In the case of a contract without a fixed term, the prohibition on night-time work by pregnant women takes effect only for a limited period in relation to the total length of the contract, and to hold the contract invalid or to avoid it because of the temporary inability of the pregnant employee to perform the night-time work for which she was engaged would be contrary to the objective of protecting such persons pursued by Article 2(3) of the directive and would deprive that provision of its effectiveness.
G.F. Mancini, P
C-421/92, [1994] EUECJ C-421/92
Bailii
Council Directive 76/207/EEC
Cited by:
Cited – O’Neill v Governors of St Thomas More RC School EAT 12-Oct-1995
The claimant had lodged an appeal against a rejection of her claim of sex discrimination, and against the amount of damages awarded on the success of her claim of unfair dismissal. After rejection of her request for a review, her counsel had lodged . .
Cited – O’Neill v Governors of St Thomas More RC School and Another EAT 24-May-1996
The claimant had been dismissed as a teacher by the respondent Roman Catholic school after she became pregnant by a priest. She had been found to have been unfairly dismissed, but the tribunal had rejected her claim of discrimination for pregnancy. . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
European, Discrimination
Updated: 18 December 2021; Ref: scu.161031
