Italy: Unfair/ Wrongful Dismissal

La Corte di Cassazione ha stabilito un principio fondamentale in materia di licenziamento disciplinare: il fatto contestato al lavoratore deve essere valutato autonomamente rispetto al giudizio penale.

The Italian Court of Cassation has ruled that employers may assess disciplinary actions independently of criminal proceedings, establishing that factual conduct damaging workplace trust can justify dismissal even when criminal charges result in acquittal. This landmark decision addresses the autonomy of employment law from criminal law in cases involving employee misconduct and breach of fiduciary duty.

The Court of Cassation has ruled on the validity of disciplinary dismissals communicated through standard email rather than traditional methods specified in collective agreements. This decision clarifies whether employers must strictly adhere to notification methods outlined in collective bargaining agreements or if alternative communication channels can satisfy legal requirements for terminating employment relationships.

The Court of Cassation has recently confirmed that the ‘abusive' use of leave to care for disabled family members, as referred to in Article 33, par. 3 of Italian Law no. 104 of 1992, not only justifies dismissal...

fruibile dai datori di lavoro indicati al punto 1 di cui sopra, che, avendo raggiunto i limiti massimi di durata complessiva dei trattamenti nel quinquennio mobile - come stabiliti dall'art.

Originally, as of March 17th 2020, art. 46 of Legislative Decree n. 18/2020 introduced a dismissal ban for objective reasons aimed at facing the economic consequences of Covid-19 spread.