N16.T8 – Lower Salaries for Judges and State Prosecutors Due to the Inertia of the Legislature
HRA NEWSLETTER 16 – TOPIC 8
In January, judges and state prosecutors received salaries reduced by 30%. The reduction occurred because amendments to the laws on the Judicial Council and Judges, the State Prosecutor’s Office, and the Constitutional Court—which provide for the said increase—were not placed on the agenda of the Parliament of Montenegro during December, at a time when Members of Parliament were rapidly adopting a record number of laws.
Judges and prosecutors therefore received salaries that were 30% lower in January because the Parliament of Montenegro failed to adopt the necessary legislative amendments in a timely manner.
The amendments to these laws are scheduled to be considered at a parliamentary session set for 2 February. In this way, the inertia and irresponsibility of the legislative branch directly affected the material status of judges and state prosecutors.
The Association of Judges of Montenegro warned that this reduction would most severely affect judges of basic courts, who work under the greatest pressure and have the lowest incomes within the system. They also warned the competent institutions of the risk of an interruption in the application of the legal solution under which salaries had been increased, but no reaction followed.
Such an attitude of the legislative branch further jeopardizes the stability of the judicial system and negatively affects the motivation of judges and state prosecutors at a time when Montenegro is expected to deliver measurable results in the field of the rule of law.
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