For José Valerio, the Supreme Court must be involved in negotiations with the judiciary

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The government approved a 10% pay increase for the judicial union by decree, which Valerio said would not be fully reflected in workers’ salaries.

What does Valerio think about the payment of judges’ income?

Regarding judges paying income taxes, Valerio said he did so many years ago, in 2003, when the Julio Cobos government first took office.

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“At the time, we met several times with the government minister, Gabriel Fidel, and I wanted to present my position to him. For me, it was necessary to levy income tax on an increased basis – which would be granted by the government on the date the proposal is approved – so that in a short time, according to inflation, judges would end up paying the same as everyone else, and, by the way, the principle of the intangibility of judges’ salaries was not affected.

This alternative has been discussed several times but has never been implemented.

Then, in 2017, it was decided to start payments based on earnings exceeding 15 minimum basic wages and floating wages.

“Solutions to the problem must be found, but for this reinvention is necessary,” Valerio concluded.

How Workers’ Strikes Affect the Judiciary

according to Valerio, The functioning of the local judicial system is being affected and the situation will become more complicated if the number of strike days continues to increase.

“Justice is not slowing down in 100% of areas. Yes, it is not working properly.” He added: “In the criminal justice field, the most urgent hearings are taking place, with priority given to detainees and those among them who can regain their freedom through hearings. Ensuring rights is the first priority.”

However, he stressed that it was not that the strike was meaningless, but that it caused great despair among those who were unable to manage their own business.

The question is whether the 10% increase given to the judiciary by the government of Alfredo Cornejo is enough.

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“According to employees, the government has given a 10% salary increase, which, based on class allowances, will only have an impact of 6% or 7% at present, taking into account inflation.

The problem with the Justice Department strike, Valerio said, is that all cases are postponed and only urgent issues are addressed, such as scheduling hearings with detainees.

The problem with judicial strikes is not the day of the strike, but its aftermath. The activities carried out in justice today are the product of previous actions, and the time lost today will have consequences for future actions.”

Courts need to consolidate salary discussion forms

About this possibility Supreme Court The Ministry of Justice determines the salary that judicial officials must earn, which Valerio explained is impossible to do because the judiciary is not autonomous.

However, he did think it was necessary Supreme Court said in the joint table. “The judiciary must undergo a transformation, which began in 2015 but then stopped. We are moving towards a more modern judiciary, where it is no longer the case that workers go in with 13th class students to sew files”

He also added, “If we think about maintaining the judiciary as an independent branch but performing all its functions, the Supreme Court must say something because otherwise, there is no need for the court.”

The judiciary’s argument is that when they sat down to negotiate with the executive branch representatives, they had no idea what the judiciary’s job was like and what tasks they performed.