Overview

• The European Court of Justice ruled that bans on indirect disability discrimination cover employees disadvantaged because they care for a disabled child.
• Employers must consider reasonable accommodations that enable caregiving workers to reconcile their job and care duties, subject to a disproportionality test.
• The case arose from an Italian railway employee who sought a permanent fixed-hours post after receiving only temporary schedule changes.
• Italy’s Court of Cassation requested the EU court’s interpretation, and the national court must now decide the specific claim using that framework.
• The judgment binds courts across EU member states, which must follow the interpretation in similar workplace discrimination disputes.