24 May, 2016
Increase of salaries of court employees is the most important priority in 2017-2019, and financing thereof is requested from the state budget in new policy initiatives of district (city) courts and regional courts, and the Supreme Court.
Policy initiatives approved by the Council for the Judiciary envisage gradual increase of employees’ salaries, so that those would reach maximum salary established in united state remuneration system for particular group of salaries. Currently, salary of court employees makes 47–65% of maximum possible salary. For example, the salary of an assistant to a judge in a district court is 734 Euros, in a regional court – 819 Euros, the salary of the court secretary is 545 Euros, and salary of the court interpreter is 562 Euros.
The second priority the funding from the state budget is requested for is increase of salaries of judges and prosecutors, to equalize salaries of judges and prosecutors with remuneration of state servants. Having included judges and prosecutors in united system of remuneration, the planned balance is destroyed, by abolishing limitations of extra payments and bonuses in public administration, but preserving those for judges and prosecutors.
Policy initiatives for district (city) courts and regional courts, elaborated by the Ministry of Justice, also include priorities, such as ensuring of physical security of courts and centralization of archives of courts located in Riga court region.
Priorities of the Supreme Court, in their turn, include strengthening of capacity of the Council for the Judiciary, strengthening of capacity of the Division of Case-law and Research, financing of work of the Division of Provision of Regime of Secrecy, improvement of system of administration of documents of the Supreme Court for circulation of electronic documents, events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Senate of Latvia, audit of functionality of the web site of the Supreme Court and publishing of collection of rulings of the Supreme Court.
Proposals on priorities of work of courts, accepted by the Council for the Judiciary, will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for inclusion in the state budget for 2017.
The decision was adopted by the Council for the Judiciary at the sitting of 23 May.
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