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Res. 00580-2024 Tribunal de Apelación de Trabajo de San José · Tribunal de Apelación de Trabajo de San José · 30/07/2024
OutcomeResultado
The Court confirms the denial of the precautionary reinstatement measure due to lack of fumus boni iuris and prevalence of public interest.El Tribunal confirma la denegatoria de la medida cautelar de reinstalación por falta de apariencia de buen derecho y prevalencia del interés público.
SummaryResumen
The San José Labor Appeals Court upholds the denial of a provisional reinstatement injunction sought by a dismissed former employee of the National Insurance Institute (INS). The court examines the plaintiff's two arguments: violation of due process and expiration of the disciplinary action. It finds that the procedure respected fundamental guarantees (notice of charges, right to defense, reasoned decision) and that, preliminarily, the claimed statute of limitations does not apply because the position involved managing public funds, making a five-year term applicable under the Internal Control Law and the Anti-Corruption Law. Therefore, the complaint lacks fumus boni iuris. Furthermore, although it acknowledges that dismissal causes economic harm, it applies the last paragraph of Article 493 of the Labor Code to weigh the public interest: the seriousness of the alleged offense and the existence of criminal complaints against the plaintiff would disrupt the sound operation of the INS, so public interest prevails over the plaintiff's private interest.El Tribunal de Apelación de Trabajo de San José confirma la denegatoria de la medida cautelar de reinstalación provisional solicitada por un exfuncionario del Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) despedido. El Tribunal analiza los dos argumentos del actor: violación al debido proceso y prescripción de la acción disciplinaria. Determina que el procedimiento respetó las garantías fundamentales (información de cargos, derecho de defensa, acto motivado) y que, preliminarmente, no se configura la prescripción alegada, pues al tratarse de un puesto que manejaba fondos públicos, el plazo aplicable sería de cinco años según la Ley General de Control Interno y la Ley contra la Corrupción. Concluye que la demanda carece de apariencia de buen derecho. Adicionalmente, aunque reconoce que el despido causa perjuicio económico, aplica el último párrafo del artículo 493 del Código de Trabajo para ponderar el interés público: la gravedad de la falta imputada y la existencia de denuncias penales en su contra provocarían un conflicto en la sana gestión operativa del INS, por lo que prevalece el interés público sobre el particular.
Key excerptExtracto clave
In view of the foregoing, the Court considers that the complaint lacks fumus boni iuris, so the precautionary measure cannot be granted on these grounds. Furthermore, we must note that although this Court maintains the thesis that the very existence of a dismissal entails harm, since the severance of the employment relationship causes loss of income for the worker due to the principle of economic dependence, in this case that is not sufficient to order the plaintiff's reinstatement. Note that when we analyze the last paragraph of the aforementioned Article 493, the claim does not withstand an analysis of the potential harm it could cause to the sound operation of the organization involved. This Court must make it clear that it is not rushing to question the worker's innocence, but it points out that the implications of the offense attributed to the plaintiff give reason to believe that his mere presence would cause conflict in the sound operational management of the INS, especially since there are criminal complaints against him that, according to the record, are under investigation, and therefore the public interest must prevail over the plaintiff's private interest in this jurisdictional matter.Dicho lo anterior, considera el Tribunal que la demanda carece de apariencia de buen derecho, así que la tutela cautelar no podría ser acogida en estos términos. A mayor abundamiento, debemos decir que si bien es cierto que este Tribunal mantiene la tesis que la propia existencia del despido comporta la existencia de una daño, merced a que la ruptura del vínculo jurídico laboral genera la pérdida de ingresos de la persona trabajadora en virtud del principio de dependencia económica, en el caso de estudio ello no es suficiente para acordar la incorporación del promovente en su antiguo puesto de trabajo. Nótese que si pasamos a analizar lo dicho en el último párrafo del precepto 493 ya citado, la gestión no soporta un análisis respecto a los potenciales perjuicios que podría conllevar para el sano funcionamiento de la organización implicada. Este Tribunal debe dejar en claro que no se está apresurando a cuestionar la inocencia de la persona trabajadora, pero hace ver que las connotaciones de la falta lleva imputada al promovente, llevan a pensar que su sola presencia generaría una conflicto en la sana gestión operativa del INS, máxime que hay denuncias penales en su contra, que según los autos están en la etapa de investigación, por lo cual debe prevalecer el interés público sobre el particular del promotor de este asunto jurisdiccional.
Pull quotesCitas destacadas
"La medida cautelar será procedente cuando la ejecución o permanencia de la conducta administrativa sometida a proceso pueda ser fuente de daños y perjuicios, actuales o potenciales, de difícil o imposible reparación."
"The precautionary measure shall be appropriate when the execution or continuation of the administrative conduct subject to proceedings may be a source of actual or potential damages that are difficult or impossible to repair."
Considerando IV (cita del Art. 493 CT)
"La medida cautelar será procedente cuando la ejecución o permanencia de la conducta administrativa sometida a proceso pueda ser fuente de daños y perjuicios, actuales o potenciales, de difícil o imposible reparación."
Considerando IV (cita del Art. 493 CT)
"La satisfacción del interés público se tendrá, al resolverse estas situaciones, como valor preeminente."
"In resolving these situations, the satisfaction of the public interest shall be considered a preeminent value."
Considerando IV (cita del Art. 493 CT)
"La satisfacción del interés público se tendrá, al resolverse estas situaciones, como valor preeminente."
Considerando IV (cita del Art. 493 CT)
"Las connotaciones de la falta lleva imputada al promovente, llevan a pensar que su sola presencia generaría una conflicto en la sana gestión operativa del INS, máxime que hay denuncias penales en su contra, que según los autos están en la etapa de investigación, por lo cual debe prevalecer el interés público sobre el particular del promotor de este asunto jurisdiccional."
"The implications of the offense attributed to the plaintiff give reason to believe that his mere presence would cause conflict in the sound operational management of the INS, especially since there are criminal complaints against him that, according to the record, are under investigation, and therefore the public interest must prevail over the plaintiff's private interest in this jurisdictional matter."
Considerando IV
"Las connotaciones de la falta lleva imputada al promovente, llevan a pensar que su sola presencia generaría una conflicto en la sana gestión operativa del INS, máxime que hay denuncias penales en su contra, que según los autos están en la etapa de investigación, por lo cual debe prevalecer el interés público sobre el particular del promotor de este asunto jurisdiccional."
Considerando IV
Full documentDocumento completo
IV.- The plaintiff brings an action seeking to annul his dismissal and to be reinstated to his position with the corresponding payment of back pay (salarios caídos). He bases his position on two primary allegations, namely, the violation of the right to due process, since the procedure for his dismissal disobeyed the principles established for such purposes by the sectoral rules governing the Instituto Nacional de Seguro, and, on the other hand, he alleges that the dismissal proceeding was unavoidably time-barred. On the matter before us, Article 493 of the Labor Code (Código de Trabajo) states: “In proceedings against the State or any of its institutions or bodies, which fall under the labor jurisdiction and do not concern the violation of special protection privileges (fueros especiales de tutela), whose claim results in reinstatement to the job, the suspension of the effects of the dismissal act or, as appropriate, the provisional reinstatement of the worker may be raised as a precautionary measure (medida cautelar). The precautionary measure shall be appropriate when the execution or continuation of the administrative conduct subject to proceedings may be a source of current or potential damages of difficult or impossible reparation. The measure shall also be appropriate in cases not governed by public law, when the validity or injustice of the dismissal act is challenged in judicial proceedings and some standard of stability is invoked. The jurisdictional body, when ruling on the request, shall weigh not only the seriousness of the petition and the interests whose provisional protection is sought, but also the potential harm that may be caused to the public interest or to the harmony or security of the companies, in such a way that the functioning of the organization or entity, nor good service, are affected by ordering or maintaining inconvenient situations. The satisfaction of the public interest shall be considered, when resolving these situations, as a preeminent value.” As the first stage of the intellectual process for granting a precautionary measure, we must proceed to the analysis of the appearance of good right (apariencia de buen derecho); for these purposes, we must understand this assumption as a preliminary judgment about whether the claim is well-founded or has some basis. [...] Having made this brief account, the Court can perceive that the principles of due process were prudentially embraced; note that the plaintiff was informed of the facts under investigation, he was given the right of defense, and finally, a duly reasoned act was issued regarding the charges imputed. Now, regarding whether the statute of limitations (prescripción) has run, we would have to rely, in this preliminary discussion, on the rules employed in the process, with the indication that we could not definitively determine at this stage of the proceedings whether Article 414 of the Labor Code (Código de Trabajo) was applicable to the plaintiff instead of Article 71 of the Organic Law of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Ley Orgánica de la Contraloría General de la República), but considering, for example, the parameters used by the Second Chamber in its vote no. 210 of 9:45 a.m. on March 1, 2013, which state that the 5-year period must be viewed in light of canons 1 and 8 of Law No. 8292, which refers, among other things, to the management of public funds. In the case before us, the plaintiff’s job position implied that the INS’s assets would assume economic commitments, and his misconduct was also related to Article 3 of Law No. 8422, for which reason the period would reasonably cover a temporal space of 5 years. Having said the above, the Court considers that the claim lacks an appearance of good right, so the precautionary protection could not be granted on these terms. Furthermore, we must say that while it is true that this Court maintains the thesis that the very existence of the dismissal entails the existence of harm, since the severance of the legal employment relationship generates a loss of income for the worker by virtue of the principle of economic dependence, in the case under study this is not sufficient to order the incorporation of the petitioner into his former job. Note that if we proceed to analyze what is stated in the last paragraph of the aforementioned Article 493, the request does not withstand an analysis regarding the potential harm it could entail for the healthy functioning of the organization involved. This Court must make it clear that it is not rushing to question the worker’s innocence, but it points out that the connotations of the misconduct imputed to the petitioner suggest that his mere presence would generate a conflict in the sound operational management of the INS, especially since there are criminal complaints against him, which according to the case file are in the investigation stage, and therefore the public interest must prevail over the private interest of the petitioner in this jurisdictional matter.
For greater clarity, we must state that while it is true this Court maintains the thesis that the very existence of the dismissal entails the existence of damage, given that the rupture of the employment legal relationship causes the loss of income for the worker by virtue of the principle of economic dependency, in the case under study this is not sufficient to grant the petitioner's reinstatement to their former job. Note that if we proceed to analyze what is stated in the last paragraph of the aforementioned precept 493, the claim does not withstand an analysis regarding the potential harms it could entail for the sound functioning of the organization involved. This Court must make it clear that it is not rushing to question the innocence of the worker, but it points out that the connotations of the fault attributed to the petitioner lead one to think that their mere presence would generate conflict in the sound operational management of INS, especially since there are criminal complaints against them, which according to the case records are in the investigation stage, and therefore the public interest must prevail over the particular interest of the promoter of this jurisdictional matter." The satisfaction of the public interest shall be considered, when resolving these situations, as a preeminent value." As the first stage of the intellectual process for granting a precautionary measure, we must proceed to the analysis of the appearance of good right (apariencia de buen derecho); for these purposes, we must understand this assumption as a preliminary judgment regarding whether the claim is well-founded or has some basis. [...]
Having made this brief recount, the Court can perceive that the maxims of due process were prudentially embraced; note that the plaintiff was told what the facts under investigation were, he was given the right of defense, and finally a duly reasoned act was issued in relation to the charges imputed. Now, regarding whether there is a statute of limitations (prescripción), we would have to adhere in this preliminary discussion to the rules used in the process, with the indication that we could not definitively determine at this stage of the process whether precept 414 of the Labor Code (Código de Trabajo) was applicable to the plaintiff instead of 71 of the Organic Law of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Ley Orgánica de la Contraloría General de la República), but considering, for example, the parameters used by the Second Chamber in its vote No. 210 of 9:45 a.m. on March 1, 2013, in which it is stated that the 5-year term must be seen in light of canons 1 and 8 of Law No. 8292, which refers, among other things, to the management of public funds. In the case at hand, the plaintiff's job position implied that the patrimony of INS assumed economic commitments, and his fault was related in turn to precept 3 of Law No. 8422, for which reason the term would reasonably cover a temporal span of 5 years. Having said the above, the Court considers that the claim lacks an appearance of good right, so the precautionary protection could not be granted in these terms. Furthermore, we must say that although it is true that this Court maintains the thesis that the very existence of the dismissal entails the existence of harm, given that the rupture of the labor legal bond generates the loss of income of the worker by virtue of the principle of economic dependence, in the case under study this is not sufficient to agree to the reinstatement of the petitioner to his former job position. Note that if we proceed to analyze what is stated in the last paragraph of the already cited precept 493, the petition does not withstand an analysis regarding the potential damages it could entail for the sound functioning of the organization involved. This Court must make it clear that it is not rushing to question the worker's innocence, but it points out that the connotations of the fault imputed to the petitioner lead one to think that his mere presence would generate a conflict in the sound operational management of INS, especially since there are criminal complaints against him, which according to the case records are in the investigation stage, for which reason the public interest must prevail over that of the promoter of this jurisdictional matter."
"IV.- La parte actora establece una acción con el objeto que se anule su despido y se proceda a su restitución en el puesto con el correspondiente pago de salarios caídos. Basa su postura en dos alegados primordiales, a saber, la conculcación del derecho al debido proceso, ya que el trámite de su despido desobedeció las máximas dispuestas para esos efectos por las normas sectoriales que rigen el Instituto Nacional de Seguro y, por otra parte acusa que la gestión de despido estaba indefectiblemente prescrita. Sobre el tema que nos ocupa el numeral 493 del Código de Trabajo reza: “En los procesos contra el Estado o cualquiera de sus instituciones u órganos, que sea de conocimiento de la jurisdicción laboral y que no versen sobre la violación de fueros especiales de tutela, cuya pretensión tenga como efecto la reinstalación al puesto de trabajo, podrá plantearse como medida cautelar la suspensión de los efectos del acto de despido o, en su caso, la reinstalación provisional de la persona trabajadora. La medida cautelar será procedente cuando la ejecución o permanencia de la conducta administrativa sometida a proceso pueda ser fuente de daños y perjuicios, actuales o potenciales, de difícil o imposible reparación. La medida también será procedente en supuestos no regidos por el derecho público, cuando en proceso judicial se impugne la validez o la injusticia del acto del despido y se invoque alguna norma de estabilidad. El órgano jurisdiccional, al pronunciarse sobre la solicitud, ponderará no solo la seriedad de la petición y los intereses cuya tutela provisional se pide, sino también las eventuales lesiones que se puedan producir al interés público o a la armonía o seguridad de las empresas, de manera tal que no se afecten el funcionamiento de la organización o entidad, ni el buen servicio, disponiendo o manteniendo situaciones inconvenientes. La satisfacción del interés público se tendrá, al resolverse estas situaciones, como valor preeminente.” Como primer estadio del proceso intelectivo para la asignación de una medida cautelar, debemos proceder al análisis de la apariencia de buen derecho, a estos efectos debemos entender este supuesto como un juicio prelimitar acerca si la demanda está fundada o tiene cierto sustento.[...] Hecho este breve recuento, el Tribunal puede percibir que las máximas del debido proceso, de forma prudencial fueron abrazadas, nótese que se le indicó al actor cuáles eran los hechos objeto de pesquisas, se le dio el derecho de defensa y finalmente se le dictó un acto debidamente fundamentado en relación con los cargos imputados. Ahora bien, respecto a si existe prescripción tendríamos que atenernos en esta discusión preliminar a las normas empleadas en el proceso, con la indicación que no podríamos determinar en definitiva en este estadio del proceso si al actor le era aplicable el precepto 414 del Código de Trabajo en lugar del 71 de la Ley Orgánica de la Contraloría General de la República, pero considerando por ejemplo los parámetros empleados por la Sala Segunda en su voto n.° 210 de las 9:45 horas del 1° de marzo de 2013, en los que se habla que el plazo de 5 años debe verse a la luz de los cánones 1 y 8 de la Ley n.° 8292 que se refiere entre otras cosas al manejo de fondos públicos, en el caso que nos ocupa, el puesto de trabajo del actor implicaba que el patrimonio del INS asumiera compromisos económicos y su falta se relacionada a su vez con el precepto 3 de la Ley n.° 8422, por lo cual razonablemente el plazo abarcaría un espacio temporal de 5 años. Dicho lo anterior, considera el Tribunal que la demanda carece de apariencia de buen derecho, así que la tutela cautelar no podría ser acogida en estos términos. A mayor abundamiento, debemos decir que si bien es cierto que este Tribunal mantiene la tesis que la propia existencia del despido comporta la existencia de una daño, merced a que la ruptura del vínculo jurídico laboral genera la pérdida de ingresos de la persona trabajadora en virtud del principio de dependencia económica, en el caso de estudio ello no es suficiente para acordar la incorporación del promovente en su antiguo puesto de trabajo. Nótese que si pasamos a analizar lo dicho en el último párrafo del precepto 493 ya citado, la gestión no soporta un análisis respecto a los potenciales perjuicios que podría conllevar para el sano funcionamiento de la organización implicada. Este Tribunal debe dejar en claro que no se está apresurando a cuestionar la inocencia de la persona trabajadora, pero hace ver que las connotaciones de la falta lleva imputada al promovente, llevan a pensar que su sola presencia generaría una conflicto en la sana gestión operativa del INS, máxime que hay denuncias penales en su contra, que según los autos están en la etapa de investigación, por lo cual debe prevalecer el interés público sobre el particular del promotor de este asunto jurisdiccional."
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