Judge Artha Theresia (centre) reading out the bench's ruling in a case at the Jakarta High Court in Jakarta on Sept 10, 2024. More than 1,700 judges in the country are set to stage an unofficial strike starting on Oct 7 to demand higher salaries and benefits, which have been unchanged since 2012. - Antara
JAKARTA: The Supreme Court (MA) leadership is scheduled to meet with judges' representatives on Monday (Oct 7) afternoon, following demands for higher salaries and allowances.
More than 1,700 judges in the country are set to stage an unofficial strike, organised under the Solidaritas Hakim Indonesia (Solidarity of Indonesian Judges) movement, to protest their salaries and allowances, which have not increased in 12 years.
In response to the protest, the top court will hold a meeting to discuss the judges' demands.
"If possible, they will be received alongside the Judicial Commission. It would be great if representatives from the Finance Ministry, the National Development Planning Agency and the Law and Human Rights Ministry could also engage in dialogue with them," Supreme Court spokesperson Suharto said on Wednesday evening.
Besides requesting a meeting with the top court leadership, the judges also plan to stage a protest by taking mass leave for five consecutive days from Oct 7 to 11 to urge the government to improve judges’ welfare.
Suharto said that leave is an entitlement for all civil servants but requires approval from their respective supervisors.
As of Thursday evening, at least 1,730 judges out of some 7,700 judges from courts across the country had been registered to take leave next week, according to the movement spokesperson Fauzan Arrasyid.
"The number of judges who join the movement is likely to increase," Fauzan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Fauzan said that more than 100 judges from various regions would travel to Jakarta to stage a protest by putting up banners and holding an open forum at an undisclosed location. Other judges who are unable to join the strike in Jakarta will show their support by staying at home or clearing their court schedules during the demonstration.
At the heart of their movement is a demand for the government to revise the 2012 government regulation on the financial rights and facilities of judges, which would pave the way for an increase in judges’ salaries and allowances.
The regulation sets judges’ salaries on a par with those of other civil servants, despite their greater responsibilities, as well as allowances that have remained unchanged for the past 12 years amid ongoing inflation. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
