Greek judges, who’ve been conducting work slowdowns to oppose pending pay cuts, said they will continue their protest with reductions in their working hours until Nov. 10.
They have declared the proposed salary cuts as unfair, although the reductions have been imposed across-the-board for most public sector workers over the last 2 1/2 years that austerity measures have been imposed by the government on orders of international lenders.
Judges said their pay has already been reduced as much as 38 percent and said the cuts were jeopardizing their ability to perform their duties. “We call on the state not to forget that it has the obligation of protecting the personal and operational independence of judges,” the group of associations said.
Greece’s bloated public sector has been targeted by inspectors from the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank. But unions have mounted stiff opposition and say the cuts risk undermining the government’s ability to manage the crisis and keep essential services running.
After similar demonstrations in Spain, Portugal and France in recent days, Greek protesters said they want to send a message to the European Union that societies facing successive austerity waves to meet fiscal goals have reached their limit.
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