The High Court of Justice of Catalonia has declared the dismissal of an automotive logistics worker null, ordering his reinstatement with compensation and back pay.
The regional appeals court confirmed that the employer must pay the veteran employee 12,000 euros in compensation for moral damages after violating his fundamental right to non-discrimination based on health. The company was also ordered to pay more than 70,000 euros in accrued lost wages accumulated between his dismissal and his required return to the workforce.
Judges found that the logistics business failed to demonstrate any serious effort to adapt the employee's work duties or find him a compatible role within the company. The worker had requested internal reassignment after medical authorities recognized his permanent physical limitations caused by a severe spinal injury.
The ruling was handed down by the social chamber of the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Cataluña, the top judicial body in the northeastern Spanish region. The court reviews judgments from provincial labor courts and ensures compliance with both national employment statutes and European Union legal standards.
Spinal injury and retroactive dismissal
The affected employee had worked for nearly 30 years at the automotive logistics company. Over three decades of service, he served initially as a foreman and later transitioned into duties as a warehouse worker.
His health deteriorated due to severe lower back pain that radiated down into his right leg, a condition linked to a chronic spinal column injury. The persistent pain prevented him from carrying out heavy physical labor and warehouse duties.
In April 2024, Spain's public social security system formally recognized the worker as having a total permanent disability for his habitual profession. Following that official resolution, the employee approached company management to request a transfer to a less physically demanding position compatible with his medical condition.
Management rejected the accommodation request. In July, the company delivered a dismissal letter that applied retroactively to October 2023, the date when the employee had exhausted his 545 days of temporary medical leave. The employer claimed it was impossible to adapt his job functions, prompting the worker to take legal action.
Barcelona labor court ruling
The dispute went first before the Juzgado de lo Social número 29 de Barcelona, one of the city's specialized labor courts tasked with resolving workplace conflicts. The presiding magistrate declared the dismissal entirely null and void.
The judge condemned the logistics company for violating the employee's constitutional right to non-discrimination based on illness or health status, ordering an indemnity of 12,000 euros for moral damages. She concluded from the evidence that company leadership showed no real willingness to adapt the workstation or reassign the worker.
In her decision, the magistrate criticized an internal company report submitted to justify the dismissal, noting that the document failed to identify its author. She also emphasized that the worker retained his contractual classification as a foreman and possessed professional training for roles involving far lower physical exertion.
The logistics company appealed the judgment to the regional high court. In its appeal, the firm argued that the dismissal took place before newer statutory employment regulations had taken effect.
European case law and reasonable accommodation
The High Court of Justice of Catalonia dismissed the company's appeal on every point. The appellate magistrates upheld the nullity of the contract termination, reaffirmed the 12,000 euro compensation payment, and confirmed the order compelling the business to reinstate the worker with back pay exceeding 70,000 euros.
Addressing the company's defense regarding legislative timing, the judges acknowledged that Spain's Law 2/2025 was not yet in force when the firing took place. However, the bench made clear that established case law from the Court of Justice of the European Union already bound Spanish employers to explore reasonable adjustments before terminating a worker for permanent disability.
The court cited the European court's ruling of 18 January 2024 in Case C-631/22. That binding European precedent established that employers must actively assess adapting a worker's post or transferring them to a compatible vacant role, unless doing so would impose an excessive burden on the business.
The Catalan magistrates stressed that receiving a declaration of total permanent disability does not require an individual to abandon working life. Under established employment law, workers declared unfit for their specific habitual job remain capable of performing other roles that match their capabilities.
Spanish temporary disability rules
The case underscores the statutory framework that governs medical leave and workplace illness across Spain. When a worker suffers an illness or injury preventing professional activity, the process begins with temporary disability, initiated through an official medical leave notice.
Temporary disability carries an initial maximum duration of 365 calendar days. Throughout this period, the worker receives state medical care alongside statutory economic benefits designed to replace lost income.
The Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social, the central state agency overseeing social benefits, holds the authority to grant a 180-day extension if medical reports show a prospect of recovery. With that extension, temporary leave can extend to a total of 545 calendar days.
Permanent disability evaluation process
Once an employee exhausts the 545-day limit, the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social must examine the worker within a maximum period of 90 calendar days to determine whether permanent disability should be granted.
If the worker continues to require medical care and doctors maintain expectations of recovery, authorities can delay the formal qualification. However, Spanish law stipulates that the total time elapsed between temporary disability and extensions cannot exceed 730 calendar days.
The administrative resolution can deny disability or approve one of three official classifications: total permanent disability for the habitual profession, absolute permanent disability for all work, or severe disability for individuals requiring personal assistance. In certain cases, permanent disability is granted directly without an earlier temporary disability phase.
Legal professionals observe distinct patterns across different medical categories. Lawyer Victor Arpa noted that in the majority of disability proceedings involving mental illness, applicants succeed in obtaining absolute permanent disability.
In the automotive logistics case, the worker's total disability status applied strictly to his manual warehouse assignment. Because the company failed to examine lighter roles that fit his qualifications and physical restrictions, the court ruled that his firing was unlawful and discriminatory.
