The facts
As part of a dispute with a Spanish trade union, the Spanish
subsidiary of a German financial institution had raised the
question of whether the company needed to have a system for
recording employees' working hours. It was undisputed that such
a system did not exist. This was due to the fact that, according to
the company, Spanish law did not provide for a general obligation
to record working time. According to the trade union, this was
incorrect, as local provisions would have to be interpreted in the
light of the Working Time Directive. Accordingly, the company would
be obligated to implement a working time recording system.
The decision
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in favor of the
trade union.
