Romanian judiciary revolts against proposed salary law, judges warn of 'anomalies'

A significant judicial revolt is brewing in Romania as 163 chief judges from across the country have united against a proposed government salary law. They argue that the draft legislation, presented by the Bolojan government, will create "anomalies" and have "catastrophic" consequences for the judiciary.

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The texts of the project will cause anomalies translated into different classifications of people depending on the date of promotion or recruitment into public office, so that situations will arise where, as a result of promotion in ranks or seniority levels, salary rights will decrease.

In a strongly worded statement, the judges highlighted that the proposed salary coefficients infringe upon the constitutional principle of equality between governmental powers. They contend that the law fails to acknowledge the judiciary's constitutional role and appears to prioritize salary increases for dignitaries, despite calls for public spending moderation. The judges also expressed concern that the law could lead to pay decreases for some, even with promotions or increased seniority, creating a situation where individuals with identical ranks and experience receive vastly different salaries based on their hiring or promotion dates.

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The level of the proposed hierarchical coefficients violates the constitutional principle of equality between powers, without taking into account the constitutional role of the judiciary.

Furthermore, the chief judges criticized the government's approach to outstanding salary payments. They noted that while other professional groups like teachers, doctors, and police officers have had their back pay recognized, the judiciary's situation is being handled differently. They attribute these discrepancies to the executive's "incapacity" to enact clear legislation and to "individual initiatives" that have created preferential exceptions for certain professions, thereby discriminating against others. The judges rejected what they described as a "political strategy" to demonize magistrates, suggesting it serves to mask the executive branch's failure to improve citizens' living standards. They declared they would no longer tolerate "irresponsible and humiliating attitudes" from other branches of government.

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The only concern of the initiators was to increase the salaries of dignitaries, although they call for moderation in spending public money.