Paraguay judicial workers also demand salary adjustment

Paraguay’s judicial employees are demanding a salary adjustment after waiting 14 years for a response. The union says the issue affects thousands of workers whose pay has fallen below the legal minimum despite their qualifications and responsibilities.

Porfiria Ocholasky, secretary general of the Paraguayan Judicial Employees’ Union, said the request is not for a discretionary raise. She described it as a technical adjustment needed to reflect the country’s economic reality. “Why do we call it a salary adjustment? Because over these 14 years, purchasing power has been lost by 180%,” Ocholasky said.

The union estimates that 5,300 judicial employees with university degrees earn below the minimum wage within the institution. Their situation is made more difficult by rules governing judicial careers. According to Ocholasky, internal regulations prevent employees from practicing law independently, leaving them dependent on a single salary from the judiciary.

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Why do we call it a salary adjustment? Because over these 14 years, purchasing power has been lost by 180%.

The workers affected include typists, secretarial officers, process servers and judicial assistants. The union is also demanding equal pay after finding cases in which employees perform the same duties for the same hours but receive different salaries.

After receiving no satisfactory response from the Supreme Court, the union says it will seek other avenues. “As we do every year, we will appeal to the goodwill of lawmakers and the executive branch so they understand that a branch of the state cannot continue paying its staff less than the minimum wage,” Ocholasky said.

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As we do every year, we will appeal to the goodwill of lawmakers and the executive branch so they understand that a branch of the state cannot continue paying its staff less than the minimum wage.