Doktryna employment-at-will w prawie pracy w Stanach Zjednoczonych

• Autorzy: Artur Rycak

Warianty tytułu

The Employment-at-Will Doctrine

• Języki publikacji: PL

Abstrakty

W stosunkach pracy w Stanach Zjednoczonych nadal obowiązuje przyjęta pod koniec XIX w. doktryna "employment-at-will", według której zwolnienie pracownika nie wymaga przedstawienia ze strony pracodawcy jakiegokolwiek powodu tego zwolnienia. W praktyce reguła "at-will", zwana też regułą Wooda od nazwiska jej autora, jest obecnie nieco osłabiana przez wyróżnione i dopuszczone do stosowania w większości stanów trzy wyjątki polegające na: 1) możliwości podniesienia zarzutu naruszenia zasad polityki publicznej ("public policy") obowiązującej w określonym stanie, 2) przyjęciu zawarcia domyślnej umowy pomiędzy stronami ("implied contract"), na mocy której rozwiązanie umowy o pracę wymaga uzasadnienia oraz 3) dopuszczaniu podniesienia zarzutu naruszenia klauzuli dobrej wiary i uczciwego postępowania ("covenant of good faith and fair dealing") - podobnie ze skutkiem wymogu uzasadnienia rozwiązania stosunku pracy. Dotychczas jedynie w stanie Montana przyjęto ustawę znoszącą obowiązywanie tej doktryny. Pomimo krytyki doktryny "employment-at-will" ze strony nauki, judykatura poszczególnych stanów konsekwentnie odmawia jej zniesienia, wyraźnie wskazując, że inicjatywa w tym przedmiocie powinna wyjść od ustawodawcy. Autor omawia historię, stan obecny i perspektywy tej oryginalnej amerykańskiej doktryny, a także przedstawia ją na tle międzynarodowego i europejskiego prawa pracy oraz wyników badań ekonometrycznych. (abstrakt oryginalny)

EN

In employment relationships in the US there is still in force the employment-at-will doctrine, by which an employer can fire an employee at any time and for any reason ("good cause, bad cause or no cause at all"). This rule was accepted in American jurisdiction at the end of the XIX century. Its commonly known author is Horacy Wood, who depicted it in the treatise "A Treatise On the Law of Master and Servant" published in 1887. According to the concept, which includes around 85% of private sector employees, an employee's dismissal by his employer does not require from him to present any justification. The opposite just cause rule is accepted only in collective labour agreements, which comprises approximately 15% employees in private sector. The just cause rule covers most of public sector employees. In practice, the employment-at-will rule is somewhat diminished by three exceptions, distinguished and permitted to be used in most American states, which concerns: 1) possibilities of raising allegations of infringing upon public policy remaining in force in a given state (public policy exception), 2) accepting a conclusion of default agreement between parties, by virtue of which terminating an employment contract requires a justification of the decision (implied contract exception) as well as 3) accepting a possibility of raising an allegation of infringing upon good will and fair dealing clause, similar to an outcome of requirement and justification of work relation termination (covenant of good faith exception). This doctrine is a subject of criticism, starting from '60s of the XX century, from the science viewpoint, however, judicature of individual states consistently rejects to repeal it pointing out clearly that an initiative in the subject ought to come from the legislator. Up to date, only in Montana State an Act abolishing the at-will do was enacted in 1987 (the doctrine is not in force also in Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the non-metropolitan territory of Virgin Inlands). The objective doctrine can be considered an archaic one against the background of norms of the International and European Labor Law as well as legal systems of most countries around the world, in which, for a few decades, it has been accepted that termination of an employment contract concluded for indefinite period by the employer requires presentation of concrete, real and justified reasons. (original abstract)

Słowa kluczowe

PL

Stosunek pracy; Prawo pracy; Zwolnienie pracownika

EN

Legal employment relation; Labour law; Dismissal

• Czasopismo: Praca i Zabezpieczenie Społeczne
• Rocznik: 2008
• Numer: nr 8
• Strony: 8--17

Twórcy

autor

Artur Rycak

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