On Wednesday 21 December, the European Court of Justice ruled that EU Directive 98/59/EC on collective redundancies does not prevent member states from opposing such redundancies as a last resort, when conciliation fails, for overriding general interest such as protection of workers and jobs (Case C-201/15).
Such a decision would, however, need to take fair account of all interests involved and be based on clear, detailed criteria that eliminate any possible legal uncertainty for employers...