The majority association of judges suspends the strike, without giving a new date, "as a gesture of goodwill"

After a long meeting of its executive committee, the APM has paralyzed the measure of pressure “as a gesture of goodwill” and “waiting for the progress that occurs in the remuneration table for the benefit of the interests of the judicial career” .

Unlike other associations, the APM has not agreed to set a new date to carry out the strike in the event that the talks with the Government do not bear fruit.

[The third negotiating session of the Government with prosecutors and judges ends without an agreement 6 days after the strike]

The associations of judges and prosecutors have been negotiating since the 3rd with the Ministries of Finance and Justice for a salary increase that offsets the loss of purchasing power that they have had since 2010 and which is estimated at 20%.

During the remuneration table meeting held yesterday, Wednesday, the Secretary of Justice, Tontxu Rodríguez, demanded that the associations call off the strike to reach an agreement.

The intervention of Justice number two, who described that strike as “political”, was about to put an end to the negotiation, which was able to be redirected after the government representatives stated that, if the indefinite strike scheduled for next Tuesday did not was called off, at least suspended or postponed.

The Association of Prosecutors, the Independent Judicial Forum and the Professional and Independent Association of Prosecutors agreed at that moment to postpone the strike, in principle until the 19th.

For their part, both Judges and Judges for Democracy and the Progressive Union of Prosecutors -who did not join the strike call- accepted the salary improvement proposal proposed by the Government, which amounts to a total amount of 46.7 million euros for the two races.

The APM and the Association of Judges and Magistrates Francisco de Vitoria stated that they would meet with their executives before giving an answer.

FV: May 22

The first of the two to answer, to also join the postponement of the strike, was Francisco de Vitoria. In a statement released mid-morning this Thursday, the AJMFV has indicated that “after analyzing the existing situation, we have decided to comply with the request of the Ministry of Justice” and “delay the start of the strike.”

The statement alludes to the fact that there are already three associations calling for the strike that have postponed the start of the strike. Since two of them are prosecutors associations (and the third, UPF, has not been called), the appeal for the 16th would be maintained, strictly speaking, only for the judicial career, says Francisco de Vitoria.

“The negotiations in the Remuneration Table have not borne fruit, but they have
Three meetings have already been held by a negotiating body that has remained inert
for over a decade. There is also a proposal to systematize the table's technical work schedule for the next negotiation cycle, which
it's every five years,” he adds.

The AJFV assures that “it has maintained a constructive attitude, with a sequence
logic of proposals that reveal a true negotiating spirit. From the
responsibility, we now choose to maintain that same line of action and extend the negotiation margin for a few days, as requested by the Ministry”, points out the association that adds that “it trusts that this additional margin will not be wasted”.

“From the freedom that gives us being an association that moves exclusively for professional considerations, we have agreed to delay
the start of the strike until next Monday, May 22, 2023″, concludes the AJFV, which has chosen the same date on which the Justice officials have called an indefinite strike.

APM: “Gesture of goodwill”

In a statement known after 10 p.m., the Professional Association of the Magistracy affirms that calling the strike “was a difficult and well-considered decision, since we have always been aware of the importance of our constitutional function, knowing, also, of the serious consequences that a strike may have for the protection and safeguarding of the rights and freedoms of citizens, as well as for the normal functioning of the Administration of Justice”.

The most representative association of the race affirms that both the initial offer of the Government (44.6 million euros for judges and prosecutors) and the one proposed on the 5th (46.7 million) “seem to us insufficient and unaffordable, because they do not allow us to recover even half of the purchasing power lost”.

“At the meeting held yesterday,” he explains, “the Secretary of State for Justice conditioned the call for a new meeting of the remuneration table to the suspension of the called strike, delaying its start, to also present us with a new offer” .

The APM has accepted Tontxu Rodríguez's request “as a gesture of goodwill” and while waiting for progress to be made in the forthcoming negotiations.

Less than LAJ

The 46.7 million offered by the Government is equivalent to an average of 447 euros gross per month, that is, only 17 euros more than the increase achieved by the lawyers of the Administration of Justice, whose functions and responsibility are incomparable.

[The Government is planted in a rise of 46.7 M to judges and prosecutors, lower than Justice lawyers]

In percentage terms, the amount offered by the Government is less than that allocated to the LAJ, since the increase granted to them has been 10% compared to the average payroll, while the proposal made to judges and prosecutors does not reach at 7%.

In the last two negotiating days, the Treasury has insisted that it is an immovable amount and that there is no possibility of raising it.

However, the possibility of bringing a new proposal on the 16th has been opened that could contemplate a future commitment to improve other concepts, such as variable remuneration, guards or three-year periods. The Treasury has warned, in any case, that a possible agreement on these concepts would not be charged to the State budget for this year, but would be for the following ones.