Prohibition of unilateral withdrawal from a bonus agreement (Cass. November 22nd, 2010, no. 23614)

Court of Cassation states that the employer who enters into an agreement according to which the employees are entitled to a bonus, may not withdrawal one-sidedness from it. Indeed, the principle which establishes that, normally, obligations may not be permanent, is valid for obligations in charge of a sole party and not for those ones which, during a continuing employment relationship, are also in charge of another party. Therefore, disbursements of the employer are due for employees’ performances and include every amount paid to them with constant and continuing manner. Consequently, unilateral withdrawal represents a way of total or partial contractual non-fulfilment.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Contact

Need information? Write to us and our team of experts will respond as soon as possible.

Fill in the form

More news and insights

10 Mar 2026

The transfer of the employee is lawful when there is incompatibility with the company environment (Camera di Commercio Italo-Francese – Vittorio De Luca, Silvia Zulato)

With Order No. 4198 of 25 February 2026, the Italian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) – Labour Section – reaffirmed that a situation of environmental incompatibility may justify…

3 Mar 2026

Employee monitoring: when “bossware” becomes a legal risk (Agenda Digitale, 2 marzo 2026 – Martina De Angeli)

Monitoring workers through digital tools is a rapidly expanding practice, accelerated by the spread of remote work and the digital transformation of companies. Before adopting these systems, however,…

3 Mar 2026

Melismelis signs the campaign for the 50th anniversary of De Luca & Partners

For the historic labor law firm, the agency developed the 50th-anniversary logo and advertising campaign, managed online and offline media planning, and renewed the website’s visual identity. Milan,…

27 Feb 2026

Dismissals: the Corte costituzionale grants broader discretion to judges and greater scope for reinstatement (I Focus del Sole 24 Ore, 26 febbraio 2026 – Vittorio De Luca e Alessandra Zilla)

The regulation of dismissals continues to represent one of the central pillars of Italian labour law, an area of constant tension between freedom of economic initiative and the…

27 Feb 2026

“Food delivery” once again at the center of inspection activities (Norme & Tributi Plus Diritto de Il Sole 24 Ore, 17 febbraio 2026 – Vittorio De Luca e Alessandro Ferrari)

It was recently reported that one of the leading food delivery operators in Italy has been placed under judicial supervision, ordered by an urgent decree of the Public…

26 Feb 2026

Vittorio De Luca at the Welfare & HR Summit 2026

On February 25, 2026, Vittorio De Luca took part in the sixth edition of the Welfare & HR Summit organized by Il Sole 24 Ore. In particular, our…