O’Brien v Ministry of Justice: SC 12 Jul 2017

The claimant challenged e pension arrangements made for part time judges.
Held: ‘The majority of the court are inclined to think that the effect of Directive 97/81 is that it is unlawful to discriminate against part-time workers when a retirement pension falls due for payment. The directive applies ratione temporis where the pension falls due for payment after the directive has entered into force. In so far as part of the period of service took place prior to the directive’s entry into force, the directive applies to the future effects of that situation.’
Case referred to the ECJ: ‘Does Directive 97/81, and in particular clause 4 of the Framework Agreement annexed thereto concerning the principle of non-discrimination, require that periods of service prior to the deadline for transposing the Directive should be taken into account when calculating the amount of the retirement pension of a part-time worker, if they would be taken into account when calculating the pension of a comparable full-time worker?’

Judges:

Baroness Hale of Richmond DPSC, Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, Lord Reed, Lord Carnwath, Lord Hughes JJSC

Citations:

[2017] UKSC 46, [2017] WLR(D) 478, [2017] IRLR 939, [2017] ICR 1101

Links:

Bailii, Bailii Summary, WLRD

Statutes:

Council Directive 97/81/EC, Judicial Pensions Act 1981, Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993, Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000

Jurisdiction:

England and Wales

Citing:

See AlsoDepartment of Constitutional Affairs v O’Brien EAT 22-Apr-2008
EAT JURISDICTIONAL POINTS
Claim in time and effective date of termination
Extension of time: just and equitable
Appeal against Chair’s exercise of discretion to extend time for a PTWR claim . .
See AlsoO’Brien v Department for Constitutional Affairs CA 19-Dec-2008
The claimant was a part time recorder. He claimed to be entitled to a judicial pension.
Held: The Employment Appeal Tribunal was wrong to find an error of law in the decision of the Employment Tribunal to extend time; but the court declined to . .
At ECJO’Brien v Ministry of Justice ECJ 1-Mar-2012
1) European Union law must be interpreted as meaning that it is for the member states to define the concept of ‘workers who have an employment contract or an employment relationship’ in clause 2.1 of the Framework Agreement . . and in particular, to . .
At SC(1)O’Brien v Ministry of Justice SC 6-Feb-2013
The appellant, a part time recorder challenged his exclusion from pension arrangements.
Held: The appeal was allowed. No objective justification has been shown for departing from the basic principle of remunerating part-timers pro rata . .
At EATThe Ministry of Justice v O’Brien EAT 4-Mar-2014
EAT PART TIME WORKERS
The calculation of the amount of pension to which a retired part-time judge is entitled under the Part-time Workers Directive and the consequential domestic regulations should, as a . .
Appeal fromO’Brien v Ministry of Justice and Others CA 6-Oct-2015
The claimants each sought additional pensions, saying that discrimination laws which had come into effect (for part time workers and for sexual orientation) should be applied retrospectively.
Held: The decision was upheld. The ‘no . .
CitedIstituto nazionale della previdenza sociale (INPS) v Lotti, Matteucci (Social Policy) ECJ 10-Jun-2010
EU Directive 97/81/EC – Framework Agreement on part-time work – Equal treatment of part-time and full-time workers – Calculation of the period of service required to obtain a retirement pension – Periods not . .
CitedIstituto nazionale della previdenza sociale (INPS) v Bruno, Pettini (Social Policy) ECJ 10-Jun-2010
Europa Directive 97/81/EC – Framework Agreement on part-time work – Equal treatment of part-time and full-time workers – Calculation of the period of service required to obtain a retirement pension – Periods not . .
CitedCommission v Moravia Gas Storage ECJ 26-Mar-2015
Judgment – Appeals – Internal market in natural gas – Obligation of natural gas undertakings – Organisation of a system of negotiated third party access to gas storage facilities – Decision of the Czech authorities – Temporary exemption for future . .
CitedTen Oever v Stichting Bedrijfspensioenfonds voor het Glazenwassers- en Schoonmaakbedrijf (Judgment) ECJ 6-Oct-1993
Equal pay for men and women – Survivor’s pension – Limitation of the effect in time of the judgment in Case C-262/88 Barber.
As to Barber: ‘The Court’s ruling took account of the fact that it is a characteristic of this form of pay [scil, . .

Cited by:

Reference to ECJMiller and Others v Ministry of Justice SC 16-Dec-2019
‘The issue in this appeal is when time starts to run for a claim by a part-time judge to a pension under the Part-time Workers’ Directive (Directive 97/81) (‘PTWD’), as applied by the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

European, Employment, Discrimination

Updated: 20 May 2022; Ref: scu.589261