MEYENBURG, Michael - Report

Transcription

Rassembler les avocats du monde ● Bringing Together the World’s Lawyers ● Reunir a los abogados del mundo
ImmigrationLawand
Nationality/LabourLawCommissions’
JointSession
Date: November 1, 2012 (2 pm – 5:30 pm)
Location: Dresden International Congress Center (Hall 3, Conference 5)
Presidents: Jacqueline Bart and Paul Witteveen
FactSituation#2
Speakers:
Laura Devine
Michael Meyenburg, Austria
Rayan Houdrouge
Federico Torzo
Geoffrey Richards/Mark Watson
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1
Ana is a high ranking officer, employed by Dutch company ( Dutch or US national
difference?)
Based/working in the Netherlands
Is offered temporary transfer (max 3 years) to joint-venture company in
Switzerland/Italy/Greece/Austria (50% owned by the Dutch company, 50 % by
foreign company)
To build and implement a new strategy for developing its real estate portfolio, as the
assistant-director to the joint-venture’s CEO.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A very attractive remuneration-package, including a defined bonus scheme over the
total period of 3 years (bonuses 50% related to financial results, 50% to personal
performance), beautiful/expensive apartment (for free) and payment of 50% of
tuition-fees for an exclusive (2-years) MBA-program for the officer’s husband (if he
wishes to register for such MBA)
Officer’s husband decides to resign from his highly paid position as an engineer under
a Dutch employment contract. By doing so he can join his wife during her temporary
assignment and he can enroll for the MBA-program if he is unable to obtain a
position as an engineer.
Officer is very successful in the first half year of the assignment in the foreign
company office.
Then problems occur: i) harassment by the CEO, and co-directors, ii) instructions
from the CEO to bribe local authorities in order to obtain the necessary permits to
develop certain real estate projects.
Officer reports these incidents to the CEO of the Dutch joint-venture partner, who
refrains from taking any action.
Foreign Company-CEO finds out about officer’s reporting, and fires officer with
immediate effect, summoning her to vacate the apartment immediately. All further
payments under the assignment are stopped.
In the confirmation letter the CEO stipulates that officer has no further entitlements
under the assignment (bonuses, contribution for tuition fees) and communicates that
Immigration authorities and the foreign country prosecutor will be informed about
false accusations. The letter also states that officer needs to relocate to the
Netherlands (on her own expense) and that the Dutch company shall not re-employ
her and/or continue employment.
The husband has a DUI conviction from 2008 and another from 1990 and in 2010
underwent a kidney transplant and required extensive ongoing treatment.
Questions/themes:
1. what are the potential rights, responsibilities, protections of officer
vis-à-vis the foreign company joint-venture, Foreign Company-jointventure-executives, and vis-à-vis Dutch company/employer?
2
Austria:
Ad 1. Management Post/Board Position:
Facts:
• “assistant-director” to the joint-venture’s CEO:
Conclusions:
1.1. Corporate Law
This could be a “Management Board Position”, (“Vorstand” in an Austrian
or EU stock corporation, ”AG, SE”; or and more presumably a
“Geschäftsführer” in a limited liability company “GmbH”) or a position
where “Prokura” (§ 48ff of the Enterprise Code “UGB”) or a power
(“Handlungsvollmacht, § 54 UGB) is given to the assistant director by the
Austrian joint venture.
The responsibilities are laid down in the respective Commercial laws
mentioned above.
1.2.
”Pure” Secondment
It could also be just somebody of a foreign corporation who acts in the
group (“Konzern”) but does not hold a specific post in and with the
Austrian joint venture corporation.
1.3.
3
Dutch Employer
Vis à vis her Dutch employer the rights and duties remain valid in
case her original Dutch employment contract is not stayed.
1.4.
Termination of the Board Position
Such may be withdrawn at any time by the shareholders of the limited
liability company; with regard to a board position in a stock
corporation only in case of important reasons, namely heavy
misconduct, inability to orderly conduct the board position or
reasonable mistrust of the shareholders assembly (termination of
employment/secondment agreement see under “What laws, rules and
policies govern? “, 2).
1.5.
Protection
is mainly based on the employment contract and the Code on Equal
Treatment (Non Discrimination, see under 2.).
2. What laws, rules and policies govern?
Austria:
Facts:
•
•
4
Is offered temporary transfer (max 3 years) to joint-venture company (50% owned by
the Dutch company, 50 % by foreign company) in Austria with a very attractive
remuneration-package, over the total period of 3 years:
Employer remains the Dutch company,
Conclusions:
2.1.
Employment Contract/Secondment Agreement (Individual
Employment law)
2.1.1. Conflict of law rules
Art 3 of the Rome I Regulation 593/2008 as follows must be taken into account:
“Article 3
Freedom of choice
1. A contract shall be governed by the law chosen by the parties. The choice shall be made
expressly or clearly demonstrated by the terms of the contract or the circumstances of the
case. By their choice the parties can select the law applicable to the whole or to part only of
the contract.”
together with
“Article 8
Individual employment contracts
1. An individual employment contract shall be governed by the law chosen by the parties in
accordance with Article 3. Such a choice of law may not, however, have the result of depriving the
employee of the protection afforded to him by provisions that cannot be derogated from by
agreement under the law that, in the absence of choice, would have been applicable pursuant to
paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this Article.
2. To the extent that the law applicable to the individual employment contract has not been chosen
by the parties, the contract shall be governed by the law of the country in which or, failing that, from
which the employee habitually carries out his work in performance of the contract. The country
where the work is habitually carried out shall not be deemed to have changed if he is temporarily
employed in another country.
3. Where the law applicable cannot be determined pursuant to paragraph 2, the contract shall be
governed by the law of the country where the place of business through which the employee
was engaged is situated.
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4. Where it appears from the circumstances as a whole that the contract is more closely connected
with a country other than that indicated in paragraphs 2 or 3, the law of that other country shall
apply.”
and
“Article 9
Overriding mandatory provisions
1. Overriding mandatory provisions are provisions the respect for which is regarded as crucial by a
country for safeguarding its public interests, such as its political, social or economic organisation, to
such an extent that they are applicable to any situation falling within their scope, irrespective of the
law otherwise applicable to the contract under this Regulation.
2. Nothing in this Regulation shall restrict the application of the overriding mandatory provisions of
the law of the forum.
3. Effect may be given to the overriding mandatory provisions of the law of the country where the
obligations arising out of the contract have to be or have been performed, in so far as those
overriding mandatory provisions render the performance of the contract unlawful. In considering
whether to give effect to those provisions, regard shall be had to their nature and purpose andto the
consequences of their application or non-application.”
2.1.2. Provisions transferring the Directive 96/71 EC1 into Austrian law
(Art 7 ff of the “AVRAG”)
The provision2 means that at least the same remuneration as minimum remuneration
according to Austrian Collective Bargaining Agreements must be given (see also Art
7a for non European Area (EWR) employers and § 7b for EWR employers).
See also Commission Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
AND OF THE COUNCIL on the enforcement of Directive 96/71/EC concerning the posting of
workers in the framework of the provision of services COM/2012/0131 final - 2012/0061 (COD)
1
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2.1.3. Consequences for the Individual Employment/Secondment
Agreement
Three possibilities to form the individual employment/secondment agreement:
• one is to uphold the Dutch individual employment agreement or
•
to stay the Dutch agreement and enter into a secondment/employment
agreement with the Dutch corporation or
• the Austrian joint venture (Austrian employment contract)
For social security purposes very often the person transferred to another country
wants to remain with its system at home, nevertheless (see esp. Regulation 883/2004)
there is no real need not to agree a transfer to the Austrian corporation with an
individual Austrian employment contract and stay the Dutch one.
2.2.
Posting
According to Art 1 para of the Austrian Posting Code(“AÜG”)3 the provisions to
apply for a permission for Posting (art 16 AÜG) do not apply to employees of the
2
Reads in German:
Ansprüche von Arbeitnehmern mit gewöhnlichem Arbeitsort in Österreich gegen ausländische Arbeitgeber
ohne Sitz in Österreich
§ 7. Beschäftigt ein Arbeitgeber ohne Sitz in Österreich, der nicht Mitglied einer kollektivvertragsfähigen
Körperschaft in Österreich ist, einen Arbeitnehmer mit gewöhnlichem Arbeitsort in Österreich, so hat dieser
Arbeitnehmer zwingend Anspruch zumindest auf jenes gesetzliche, durch Verordnung festgelegte oder
kollektivvertragliche Entgelt, das am Arbeitsort vergleichbaren Arbeitnehmern von vergleichbaren Arbeitgebern
gebührt.“
3
Arbeitskräfteüberlassungsgesetz (AÜG); art 1 reads in German as follows:
Geltungsbereich
§ 1. (1) Dieses Bundesgesetz gilt für die Beschäftigung von Arbeitskräften, die zur Arbeitsleistung an Dritte
überlassen werden.
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same group of companies (50% owned by the Dutch company is sufficient to fall
under this provision).
2.3.
Collective Labour Law Provisions
The provisions of the second part (Art 33 ff) of the Labour Relations Act (in
German: Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz, “ArbVG”) inter alia the rights of the works council
on plant (in German: “Betrieb”) and enterprise (in German: “Unternehmen”) level
as well as rights in case of termination of employment contracts apply to all
Austrian plants.
……
(3) Ausgenommen vom Geltungsbereich der §§ 10 bis 16a dieses Bundesgesetzes ist die Überlassung von
Arbeitskräften zwischen inländischen Unternehmen, wenn eine der folgenden Voraussetzungen vorliegt:
1. die vorübergehende Überlassung von Arbeitskräften an Beschäftiger, welche die gleiche Erwerbstätigkeit wie
der Überlasser ausüben, unter der Voraussetzung, dass der Charakter des Betriebes des Überlassers gewahrt
bleibt, bis zur Höchstdauer von sechs Monaten im Kalenderjahr, wobei auch die Zeiten nacheinander folgender
Überlassungen verschiedener Arbeitskräfte zusammenzuzählen sind (§ 135 Abs. 2 Z 1 der Gewerbeordnung
1994, BGBl. Nr. 194);
2. die Überlassung von Arbeitskräften durch Erzeuger, Verkäufer oder Vermieter von technischen Anlagen oder
Maschinen, wenn
a) zur Inbetriebnahme, Wartung oder Reparatur von technischen Anlagen oder Maschinen oder
b) zur Einschulung von Arbeitnehmern des Beschäftigers
die überlassenen Arbeitskräfte als Fachkräfte erforderlich sind und der Wert der Sachleistung überwiegt (§ 135
Abs. 2 Z 2 der Gewerbeordnung 1994);
3. die Überlassung von Arbeitskräften innerhalb einer Arbeitsgemeinschaft oder bei der betrieblichen
Zusammenarbeit
a) zur Erfüllung gemeinsam übernommener Aufträge oder
b) zum Zwecke des Erfahrungsaustausches, der Forschung und Entwicklung, der Ausbildung, der
Betriebsberatung oder der Überwachung oder
c) in Form einer Kanzlei- oder Praxisgemeinschaft (§ 135 Abs. 2 Z 3 der Gewerbeordnung 1994);
4. die vorübergehende Überlassung von Arbeitskräften zwischen Konzernunternehmen innerhalb eines Konzerns
im Sinne des § 15 des Aktiengesetzes 1965, BGBl. Nr. 98, und des § 115 des Gesetzes über Gesellschaften mit
beschränkter Haftung, RGBl. Nr. 58/1906, sofern der Sitz und der Betriebsstandort beider
Konzernunternehmen innerhalb des Bundesgebietes liegt und die Überlassung nicht zum Betriebszweck des
überlassenden Unternehmens gehört……
(5) Dieses Bundesgesetz gilt unbeschadet des auf das Arbeitsverhältnis sonst anzuwendenden Rechts auch für aus
dem Europäischen Wirtschaftsraum (EWR) oder aus Drittstaaten überlassene Arbeitskräfte. Die Überlassung von
Arbeitskräften aus der Schweiz ist wie die Überlassung aus dem EWR zu behandeln.
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For employees seconded to such an Austrian plant the Austrian Suprerme Court
stated in a recent decision4, that similar foreign (in our case Dutch, in the
mentioned case German) provisions on collective labour law (dismissal rights) do
not apply.
Employees according to Art 36 of said Act are only deemed such that are not
members of the board or “leading employees”5, to whom a decisive influence on
the management of the plant is transferred.
The question remains if an employed assistant director of the CEO can be seen as
a leading employee?
2.4.
Termination/Dismissal:
Facts:
•
Is offered temporary transfer (max 3 years) to joint-venture company in Austria
•
Foreign Company-CEO finds out about officer’s reporting, and fires officer with
immediate effect, summoning her to vacate the apartment immediately. All further
payments under the assignment are stopped;
Conclusions:
4 OGH 16.9.2011, 9ObA65/11s, DRdA 2012, 356; see also Kallab, Die Anfechtung von Kündigungen - ein
europäisches Problem? DRdA 2011, 463;
5
Arbeitnehmerbegriff
§ 36. (1) Arbeitnehmer im Sinne des II. Teiles sind alle im Rahmen eines Betriebes beschäftigten Personen
einschließlich der Lehrlinge und der Heimarbeiter ohne Unterschied des Alters.
(2) Als Arbeitnehmer gelten nicht:
1. In Betrieben einer juristischen Person, die Mitglieder des Organs, das zur gesetzlichen Vertretung der
juristischen Person berufen ist;
3.
leitende Angestellte, denen maßgebender Einfluß auf die Führung des Betriebes zusteht;
…..
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2.4.1.
General Question:
• Is a termination of the employment contract itself given or only the
secondment validly terminated by immediate effect?
In a secondment agreement it is usually stated that the employer has the right to
withdraw from secondment also prematurely on what reason ever or without any
reason, so that the displaced employee may return and take over the position or a
similar one he/she left in his/her home country.
Such an unilateral end of secondment/placement would not constitute a
termination of employment.
• Second question is whether in case of a contract with the Dutch company
the Austrian CEO would be allowed to terminate such secondment
unilaterally (in the name of the Dutch company).
2.4.2.
Termination under Austrian Collective Labour
Law:
Termination (for contracts of unlimited period of time, Art 105 ArbVG) and
dismissal protection (Art 106 ArbVG) are given only to employees, not “leading
employees” like officers as members of the board and high up employed managers
not directly holding board positions but to whom a decisive influence on the
management of the plant is transferred.
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If the latter is the case, the termination by the Austrian CEO will be valid, if not
Ana has a good chance to go forward in a period of 14 days to claim annulment
based on Art 105, 106 ArbVG6.
Furthermore she will be entitled to file the same suit in the same 14 days period
with the court based on Art 12 of the Equal Treatment Act (GleichbehandlungsG,
GlBG); this will also apply for seconded employees7 and officers.
The consequences are reinstatement of individual employment (and payment of all
outstanding salaries after wrongful dismissal).
2.4.3.
Individual labour law:
A dismissal is only valid when it is undertaken by the employer: therefore Ana can
argue in case of employment with the Dutch company that such is not valid on
this ground;
If the Dutch company accepts the dismissal by the Austrian Joint venture CEO as
being done in its name (as “agent”), terminating not only the secondment, but also
the Dutch employment contract, than it would be seen to be valid/invalid
according to Dutch law if such applies (see under 1.1. conflict of law rules above).
In any case the above mentioned annulment procedure, if initiated by Ana would,
if in the long run successful, lead to reinstatement in the employment, whether
based on individual Dutch or Austrian law.
3. What are the immigration implications of the transfer and termination for
Ana and her husband?
6 Mainly on three grounds: due to not unjustifiable claims of the employee vontested by the employer and the
fact that the dismissal is socially unjustified (Art 106 and Art 105 para 3point 1 lit I and point 2. Art 12 GlbG
.
7
Art 1 para 4 GlBG,
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Austria:
3.1. Ana and husband are EU citizens
The Austrian Code on Employment of foreign Employees
(Ausländersbeschäftigungsgesetz, “AuslBG”) does not apply for
employees of the EU as long as their right to “freedom of services”
applies (Art 1 para 1 lit l;); EC Directive 2004/38 applies (for her and her
husband).
3.2.
Ana and husband are non EU citizens but Residents
Facts:
•
•
•
Ana is a high ranking officer, temporary transfer (max 3 years) to joint-venture
company in Austria (50% owned by the Dutch company, 50 % by foreign company)
To build and implement a new strategy for developing its real estate portfolio, as the
assistant-director to the joint-venture’s CEO.
A very attractive remuneration-package, including a defined bonus scheme over the
total period of 3 years (bonuses 50% related to financial results, 50% to personal
performance), beautiful/expensive apartment (for free) and payment of 50% of
tuition-fees for an exclusive (2-years) MBA-program for the officer’s husband (if he
wishes to register for such MBA)
Conclusions:
Ana should have obtained a work permit in the Netherlands and a permanent
permit to stay/visa there which could enable her also to be seconded to Austria.
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She could also be seen as “a very qualified worker” according to Art 2 para 5a
of the “AuslBG” in connection with Art 12 ff (red white red card or blue card
holder) in connection with Art 18 (posting permit, “Entsendebewilligung) and
would therefore need but receive a work permit for Austria for the work as
described above for the Joint Venture.
This is also the prerequisite for a residence permit (Niederlassungs- bzw
Aufenthaltsberechtigung, Art 41 “Niederlassungs-und Aufenthalts-Gesetz”, “
NAG”) for her and her husband.
In such a case she would be employed for a too short period of time (of at least one
year) with her (Austrian JV) employer so that she will not be eligible for the so
called “red white red card plus” (according to Art 41 a NAG), which would
allow her to change her employment with another employer in Austria.
Sorry!
I enclose
• A leaflet with regard to the “Red –White-Red card”
• and the interesting EU Commission proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the
enforcement of Directive 96/71/EC concerning the posting of workers in
the framework of the provision of services COM/2012/0131
In case of questions do not hesitate to contact me. See you all in Dresden!
Michael
[email protected]
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MEYENBURG, Michael - Report

Transcription

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