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Article 53 of the Workers’ Statute, concerning the form and effects of the termination of an employment contract on objective grounds, is worded as follows: ‘1. The adoption of a decision terminating the employment contract under the provisions of the preceding article is subject to the following conditions: (a) The employee must be notified in writing of the reason for termination; (b) At the same time as it gives written notification of termination, the employer must pay the worker a severance payment equal to 20 days’ remuneration per year of service, periods shorter than a year being calculated pro rata on a monthly basis, up to a maximum of 12 monthly payments. If the dismissal decision based on Article 52(c) [of the Workers’ Statute] is based on economic reasons and that economic situation prevents the employer paying the employee the severance payment provided for in the preceding paragraph, the employer may refrain from making that payment, indicating in the written communication that it is unable to, without prejudice to the worker’s right to claim the payment when the dismissal takes effect. (c) The employer must give a period of notice of 15 days, from delivery of the personal notification to the worker until termination of the employment contract. In the situation referred to in Article 52(c), a copy of the written notice must be sent to the workers’ legal representatives. … 3. The dismissal decision may be appealed as if it were a dismissal for disciplinary reasons. 4. When the employer’s decision to terminate the employment contract is motivated by any of the grounds of discrimination prohibited by the Constitution or by law, or was adopted in breach of the worker’s fundamental rights and public freedoms, the dismissal decision shall be invalid, in which event it shall be for the judicial authority to make a declaration to that effect, ex officio. Decisions to dismiss shall also be void in the following cases: (a) when they are taken during the period of suspension of a contract of employment on grounds of maternity, risk during pregnancy, risk during breastfeeding, illness caused by pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding, adoption, fostering or paternity referred to in Article 45(1)(d) [of the Workers’ Statute], or when it is notified on a date such that the notice period will end within that period of suspension; (b) when a pregnant worker is dismissed between the date of commencement of the pregnancy and the date of commencement of the period of suspension referred to in the previous subparagraph, or when a worker who has applied for or is benefiting from leave of a kind referred to in Article 37(4), (4a) and (5) [of the Workers’ Statute] or who has applied for or is benefiting from unpaid leave under Article 46(3) of this law is dismissed; when a worker who is a victim of domestic violence is dismissed for exercising her rights to a reduction or reorganisation of her working time, to geographical mobility, to a change of place of work or a suspension of the employment contract, in the terms and conditions recognised by [the Workers’ Statute]; (c) when a worker is dismissed after returning to work following periods of suspension of the employment contract for reasons of maternity, adoption or fostering or paternity when less than nine months have elapsed since the birth, adoption or fostering of the child. The provisions of the foregoing paragraphs shall apply except where, in those cases, the decision terminating the employment relationship is declared valid for reasons unconnected with the pregnancy or with the exercise of the right to the leave, paid or unpaid, referred to above. The dismissal decision shall be considered justified if the reason on which it is based is evidenced and the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of the present article have been met. If that is not the case, it shall be declared unfounded. Failure to give notice or excusable miscalculation of the compensation does not, however, result in a dismissal being unfounded, without prejudice to the obligation of the employer to pay the wages corresponding to that period or the correct amount of compensation, irrespective of the other consequences thereof. 5. A decision of the court declaring the dismissal decision to be invalid, valid or lacking foundation has the same effects as those set out for disciplinary dismissals, subject to the following modifications: (a) When the dismissal decision is declared to be valid, the worker shall be entitled to the severance payment provided for in paragraph 1 of the present Article, which retains its validity if already received, and shall be considered unemployed for reasons beyond his control. (b) When the dismissal decision is declared invalid and the employer reinstates the worker, the worker shall be required to reimburse the severance payment received. If financial compensation is substituted for reinstatement, that compensation shall be reduced by the amount of the severance payment received.’