By: G. B.
Minister of Justice Dominika Švarc Pipan confirmed in an interview with Siol that the ministry has prepared a new proposal for resolving judicial salaries in the form of an emergency law, which would ensure an additional one thousand euros gross salary per month for judges. However, she assessed that there is no coalition support for this solution, according to the STA report.
The monthly supplement of one thousand euros gross represents a significant increase compared to Prime Minister Robert Golob’s announcement at the beginning of the year of a supplement of 600 euros gross and the last known proposal of a supplement of 577.73 euros, which judges received at the end of November. As explained by the Minister of Justice to Siol, during the coordination with the judiciary, prosecution, and the Ministry of Public Administration, they concluded that the original amount would not address the salary disparities between judges and officials in the other two branches of government. Therefore, they adjusted the supplement to one thousand euros gross. “This is what the Constitutional Court also clearly indicated, the real difference between the lowest-paid judge and the lowest-paid MP,” explained Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan to Siol.
According to her, the proposal for the emergency law is ready and can be submitted to the National Assembly by the government at any time. However, she assessed that there is currently no coalition support for this solution because many perceive it as a partial regulation for one professional group, namely judges and prosecutors. The minister is concerned that, in the case of non-compliance with the constitutional decision on judicial salaries, the country will face much more severe financial consequences. In the event of non-compliance with the constitutional decision, the Slovenian Judges’ Association is preparing a collective lawsuit, demanding compensation for salary disparities for judges for the past five years. According to the minister’s estimate, the legal position is very clear, as the Constitutional Court has ruled that there is an unconstitutional situation regarding judicial salaries. Therefore, there is practically no chance that the court would rule in favour of the state in the case of a collective lawsuit, which would then have to settle obligations for the past five years, including interest.
The President of the Slovenian Judges’ Association, Vesna Bergant Rakočević, explained to Siol that the association has received a positive opinion from the Institute of Public Administration at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana regarding possible claims by judges and is actively considering various options. One option is filing a collective lawsuit, about which they will inform the public in a timely manner if it is submitted, she said.
However, the minister’s generosity apparently does not align with the government’s generosity in other areas, such as pensions, healthcare, and social welfare.