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

The Secretary of Justice, Tontxu Rodríguez, has also demanded that the associations call off the indefinite strike scheduled for next Tuesday to continue talking. Rodríguez has described the measure of pressure as “political”.

The intervention of the number two of Justice has been about to put an end to the negotiation, which has been able to be redirected after the government representatives have raised that, if the strike was not called off, at least it would be suspended or postponed.

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

The Association of Prosecutors, the Independent Judicial Forum and the Professional and Independent Association of Prosecutors have agreed to postpone the strike, initially until the 19th. The president of the AF, Cristina Dexeus, has pointed out the need to “have a greater margin of negotiation”.

APM and FV will consult

The majority Professional Association of the Magistracy (APM) and the Francisco de Vitoria Association of Judges and Magistrates (AJMFV) have not agreed to call off or postpone the strike, but they have promised to give an answer on this point after consulting with their respective directives. .

Both Judges and Judges for Democracy and the Progressive Union of Prosecutors have accepted the Government's proposal, which amounts to a total amount of 46.7 million euros for the two races.

Juan Vacas, representative of JJpD, has described the Justice and Finance proposal as “serious”, “responsible” and “favorable to try to avoid an even more serious crisis situation in the administration of Justice.”

UPF understands that the Government's offer “cannot be rejected” after having consulted its associates, 94% of whom have accepted it.

Less than LAJ

The figure of 46.7 million was put on the table last Monday and is somewhat higher than what the Treasury offered on May 3, when the negotiators met for the first time.

In that initial conversation, the Treasury stated that it was willing to allocate 44.6 million to an increase in the payroll of judges that most associations (all except UPF and JJpD) considered insufficient.

They made the same assessment after increasing the offer by just over two million euros.. Sources from the associations calculate that the 46.7 million 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.

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%.

The majority Professional Association of the Magistracy has insisted today on the request for 74 million euros that it raised last Monday and that would represent an increase of 10%.

The Association of Judges and Magistrates Francisco de Vitoria, which on Monday claimed 67 million, today has dropped to 57-58 million with the intention of showing flexibility and being able to reach an agreement that avoids the indefinite strike called starting next Tuesday.

The Secretary of State for Public Function, Lidia Sánchez Milán, has remained, however, at the figure of 46.7 million, with respect to which she already said last Monday that it could not be increased.

FV: “Desolating”

After more than six hours of debate, the table has been raised with the expectation that it will be convened again next Tuesday depending on the response that the APM and AJMFV give regarding the postponement of the strike.

Justice and the Treasury have opened up to the possibility of bringing a new proposal on the 16th that – they insist – would not affect the economic amount of the increase but could contemplate -for future budgetary exercises- the improvement of other concepts such as variable remuneration, guards or the trienniums.

In a statement made public last night, the Francisco de Vitoria association described as ” desolate” and “total immobility” the attitude maintained this Wednesday by Justice and the Treasury.

In his opinion, “the Government intends to undermine the legitimate right to strike of those who only want to improve their working conditions.”

The association, which is the second most representative of the judicial career, adds that “it maintains its line of work and tomorrow it will meet its board of directors in order to continue working to put an end to the collective conflict in which we have been immersed”.