Expected 16% Salary Increase for Court Employees

On Thursday, January 12th, the Chairman of the Judicial Council, Aigars Strupišs, met with the Minister of Justice, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere. As a result of the meeting, the remuneration of court employees, which will increase by 16% after the approval of the state budget, was discussed. State officials also agreed to form a working group to strengthen the status of the Judicial Council.

The Chairman of the Judicial Council informed the Minister of Justice about the current situation and the collective letter received from 924 court employees regarding inadequate and non-competitive remuneration in the context of high inflation, as well as the employees' request to increase remuneration by 24%. The Minister of Justice pointed out that the draft state budget for 2023 includes a request for 4.4 million euros for court employees. Therefore, after the approval of the state budget, court employees can expect a 16% increase in salary. The Minister of Justice emphasized that it is planned for the state budget to come into effect on April 1, 2023.

Both state officials also discussed the status of the Judicial Council and the strengthening of judicial independence. The Chairman of the Judicial Council, Aigars Strupišs, and the Minister of Justice, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, agreed on the need to form a joint working group to assess, for example, the possibility of transferring the management of courts to the Judicial Council.

Similarly, state officials agreed on cooperation in the establishment of the Judicial Academy, which will be an invaluable contribution to the sustainable development of the judicial system.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the Judicial Council, Aigars Strupišs, also informed the Minister of Justice, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, about the strategic goals of the Judicial Council - strengthening judicial independence by reducing the influence of the executive branch and improving the efficiency of the judicial system. The Minister of Justice, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, also informed about the new government's commitment to fulfill the defined declaration - not only to strengthen judicial independence and capacity and the status of the Judicial Council, but also to work on the effective implementation of all court decisions.