Indonesian District Judges Planned To Stage Strike For Better Pay

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, March 27 (Bernama) -- A group Indonesian district court judges have threatened to stage a strike to demand a higher salary. The judges claimed that their salary is lower than that of their equivalent in the civil service. They said they did not get any pay rise for the past four years while their allowances had not been revised since 11 years ago. Media Indonesia daily quoted Aceh Tamiang District Judge Sunoto as saying that a number of district court judges were ready to participate in the strike, while others were pondering over it. Sunoto, however, said the strike would be the last resort after getting a clarification from the Supreme Court on the pay rise policy and steps taken to address the issue. If the strike takes place, it will be the third time district court judges ever taken such move after 1957 and 1962. Meanwhile, Supreme Court spokesman Gayus Lumbuun urged the judges to call off the strike, and instead resolve the issue through consultation. He said the Supreme Court was championing the judges and their salary revision was being evaluated by the House of Representatives and the government. -- BERNAMA