10 March, 2015
The Council for the Judiciary updated issue on imperfections in unified system of wags in state administration and asks the legislator and the executive power to eliminate disproportionate difference between wages of lawyers employed in executive branch and judges. Judges’ wages, which are considered to be equivalent, currently may be even 50 per cent less than wages in executive branch.
Judges’ salaries were not re-assessed after restrictions regarding payments of extras and bonuses to employees of state administration, which were stipulated in the law on unified remuneration, were abolished and after maximum amounts of extras were amended. Moreover, judges and prosecutors are still prohibited to receive extras and bonuses. Thus, initially planned balance of wages of lawyers employed in executive branch and judges is incommensurably broken, and disparity between wages of judges and wages of employees of the executive branch increased. The Council for the Judiciary points out that currently judges’ wages do not comply with the principle of judicial independence and do not ensure adequate remuneration to judges.
The Council for the Judiciary asks the legislator and the executive power to eliminate existing situation and to amend laws and regulations, involving also the Council for the Judiciary in the process of preparation of amendments.
Information prepared by
Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court
E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 67020396, 28652211