Brussels, 22/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - A part-time employee on parental leave must, if dismissed, receive the same compensation as he/she would if working full time. This was the decision reached by the Court of Justice of the European Communities in a Belgian case brought before the court, on Thursday 22 October (Case C-116/08). Any reduction in the compensation for dismissal regarding a person on parental leave would be likely to deter the employee from taking such leave, and would also incite the employer to dismiss those who are on parental leave rather than other employees, the Court states. In 2003, Christel Meerts was dismissed by his employer, Proost NV, during a period of 6 months when working half-time as a result of parental leave. This meant that she received compensation for dismissal calculated on the basis of the salary she was receiving at the time, which was reduced by half because of the equivalent reduction in her working hours. The matter was referred to the European Count by the Hof van Cassatie (the Belgian Court of Cassation). The Court ruled that the employer cannot reduce compensation for dismissal in proportion to hours worked, when the reduced hours of work are in the context of parental leave. According to the Court, this would run counter to Council Directive 96/34/EC on parental leave. (C.D./transl.jl)