The Costa Rican Judicial Association (AVOJUD) called on its members to join the labor strike to protest the fiscal plan since it “weakens judicial security of the structure of the judges’ salaries”.

“As it is of your knowledge, last Friday, September 14, project 20580 known popularly as “fiscal reform” was ruled in Commission through ‘fast track procedure’. The project regulates in Article 26, the salary structure of the Judiciary Branch, altering the judicial security of the judges’ remuneration, these modifications were never consulted to the Supreme Court”.

The Association claims that the reform is establishing limits and lowering incentives such as the “exclusive dedication” and the “cesantía”, while it “excludes the benefit of annuity for those workers that are not subject to a performance evaluation (art. 48) and establishes that it will be a fixed amount and not a percentage (art.50)”.

“In addition, articles 54 and 56 respectively, transform the current salary pluses in fixed amounts and prohibits the creation of new complementary salaries in the future, unless they are created by law”

“As we can see, this Bill, contains procedures that directly affect, not only the autonomy of the Judiciary Branch but the autonomy of the exercise of the justice administration. Por these reasons we vehemently call our affiliates to join the social protest movement that has been in development since September 10 to demand that the Fiscal Reform, that we know is urgent and necessary, is channeled through a process that considers the opinions of all parts involved, including our Judicial Branch”, states the post published by ACOJUD in their social media channels.

The fiscal reform currently being discussed does not affect, as it has been explained before, the salaries of current employees, since these benefits are “acquired rights”, it will, however, affect future workers that are hired after the fiscal reform (if accepted) goes into effect.