The judges and prosecutors will continue negotiating with the Government next Tuesday and are considering postponing the strike called that same day

The third meeting of the Remuneration Table has failed in its attempt to agree on a salary increase for judges and prosecutors, with which the Government and the associations have decided to call a new meeting on May 16. Precisely on that day – next Tuesday – the start of the strike called by five of the seven associations is dated, although three of them contemplate postponing the protest in pursuit of negotiation, as reported by the Government.

After the latest offer from the Executive to disburse 46.7 million euros for the salary increases demanded by the sector, the different associations have divided: while the groups considered conservative see it as “unacceptable”, the progressives, and therefore more related to the Executive, would accept it. According to the conservative and majority Professional Association of Magistrates, “they are talking about the possibility of delaying the strike”, a request that the Government has transferred, but the decision must be made by the executives of the different associations, so it is not clear for now.

The division of progressives and conservatives has extended to the diagnosis of the meeting that took place this afternoon for more than five hours. The APM considers that “no progress has been seen”, but the progressive associations have trusted the direction of the negotiation and ensure that they are “the necessary lever so that the offer that is on the table is maintained”.

The meetings began on May 3, with a first offer from the ministry that committed to salary increases totaling 44.5 million euros.. After the rejection of the associations, a second meeting was held last Monday in which the Government raised the figure to 46.7 million, which could imply a rise of 500 euros per month in each payroll.

Despite the fact that the strike of judges and prosecutors is the third that Pilar Llop's ministry has faced this year, the associations avoid linking their protest to that of judicial lawyers and Justice officials. On the contrary, they speak of a “historic claim” whose origins date back to 2003.

In that year, the law regulating the remuneration system for judicial and fiscal careers was approved, a norm designed to ensure their economic independence.. The Remuneration Table was established, the official mechanism through which the economic conditions of judges and prosecutors are reviewed every five years. And yet, none of the five previous tables has concluded with salary increases.

Added to this is the reduction in the salary of the civil service, which in 2010 reduced the salaries of judges and prosecutors by 10%.. As denounced by the associations calling the strike, this reduction has not been compensated at any time, so that the judges and prosecutors have suffered a significant loss of purchasing power that they now intend to compensate once and for all.

This morning, the Justice officials who have been holding partial strikes for ten days have gathered in front of the headquarters on San Bernardo street and have announced that from the 22nd they will go on an indefinite strike.

Represented by the CSIF, STAJ, UGT and CCOO unions, these officials are demanding salary increases of between 350 and 430 euros, slightly less than those granted to judicial lawyers after two months of strike. If this demand is accepted, the Government would be forced to disburse close to 200 million euros. The bar association held the protest from January to March and paralyzed more than 400,000 trials.