38Inasmuch as it establishes an exception to the general rule, Article 10(a) of Directive 80/987 must be construed narrowly. In addition, it must be interpreted in a way which is compatible with the social purpose of that directive, which is to guarantee employees a minimum level of Community protection in the event of the employer's insolvency through payment of outstanding claims resulting from contracts of employment or employment relationships and relating to pay for a specific period (Case C-373/95 Maso and Others [1997] ECR I-4051, paragraph 56; Case C-125/97 Regeling [1998] ECR I-4493, paragraph 20, and Case C-441/99 Gharehveran [2001] ECR I-7687, paragraph 26).
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