Judges Go on Strike over Financial Benefits Cuts
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The judicial community in Lebanon is in a state of anger in response to an austere state budget draft which calls for deductions from the financial benefits, and health and educational contributions of judges, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said on Wednesday.
Lebanese judges, who began a strike on Friday, held a meeting on Wednesday at the Justice Palace in Beirut and discussed the steps they plan to take “to safeguard the independence of the judiciary in general and the judges in particular.”
They described any possible measure to decrease their allowances as an “attack on their rights,” and plan to “prolong their strike if the government does not withdraw its decision.”
A member of the Judges Association confirmed to the daily that "the precautionary strike which began on Friday was successful and the majority of the judges committed to it, but the decision excluded the hearings in which detainees were tried or released.”
The budget proposes 10 percent annual cuts of the treasury's contribution to the judges pension fund, and deducting part of the medical aid, medicinal proceeds and educational contribution, benefiting 560 judges and about 1,200 judicial assistants.
08 May 2019, 16:29
01
Is there any public sector government agency and/or employee that hasn't gone on strike yet? This is what I've been saying about bloated bureaucracy, big government and entitlements. Everyone is living off the government. No wonder some parties are against privatization.
if I were the government I'd go ahead with these massive cuts and austerity measures and let the chips fall where they may. Either the country survives or it completely fall off. There's no two way around it.
08 May 2019, 16:32
02
I have a feeling that justice will be better served in the absence of these corrupt judges. Talking from personal experience....
