Entitlement to full pension assets after dismissal

ATA/208/1996Court of Justice / Administrative ChamberApr 16, 1996Dismissed

Extracted by Omnilex

Omnilex summary

An insured employee sought the full old-age savings credited by his employer bank under a pension regulation applicable when service ends for reasons not attributable to the employee. The court held that, although the employer did not invoke fault as the formal ground for dismissal, the termination was nonetheless attributable to the employee. The special regulatory clause therefore did not apply, and the employee could not claim the entire accumulated old-age savings.

Omnilex headnote

Art. 28 LPP; entitlement under a pension regulation linked to termination not attributable to the employee. For the application of such a clause, the decisive criterion is the objective imputability of the end of the employment relationship, not merely the employer’s stated reason for dismissal. Where the termination is attributable to the employee, the exception for economically motivated or otherwise non-attributable dismissals is excluded, even if the employer did not expressly rely on misconduct. The regulatory benefit requiring non-attributable termination must be interpreted restrictively.

Full text

Descripteurs

ASSURANCE SOCIALE; PREVOYANCE PROFESSIONNELLE; INTERPRETATION(SENS GENERAL); REGLEMENT; LICENCIEMENT ECONOMIQUE; ASSU

Normes

LPP.28

Résumé

Bien que l'employeur du demandeur n'ait pas justifié son licenciement par un comportement fautif, il faut admettre que la fin des rapports de service est imputable à l'employé et qu'il ne peut être mis au bénéfice de la disposition du règlement selon laquelle si la banque met fin aux rapports de service d'un assuré pour des motifs non imputables à l'employé (par ex : restructuration, conséquence d'une récession, etc...), celui-ci a droit à la totalité de l'avoir de vieillesse constitué par la banque.

Keywords

occupational pensioninterpretationdismissalattributionpension benefits

Extracted by Omnilex

Key legal questions extracted by Omnilex

Key legal question

Whether the employee could rely on the pension plan rule granting the full old-age savings when employment ends for reasons not attributable to the employee.

Extracted holding

No. Even though the employer did not expressly justify the dismissal by misconduct, the termination was still attributable to the employee, so the special rule for non-attributable termination did not apply.

Extracted reasoning

The decisive question was not the employer's stated motive alone, but whether the end of service could objectively be imputed to the employee. Since attribution to the employee was affirmed, the regulatory exception for dismissals due to restructuring or recession-like reasons could not be invoked.

Entitlement to full pension assets after dismissalAI generated