Wages and Allowances Frozen for 12 Years
Group Takes Collective Leave Next Week to Protest
Indonesian judges, whose wages and allowances have been frozen for 12 years, are engaging in collective action by taking group leave, citing insufficient pay. On the 5th (local time), The Jakarta Post reported that the Indonesian Judges Solidarity (SHI) has decided to start an unofficial strike by taking group leave from the 7th to the 11th for five days. Some judges plan to gather in the capital, Jakarta, to hold protests demanding improvements in judges' welfare.
Pauzan Arasid, SHI spokesperson, said, "Out of about 7,700 judges nationwide, more than 1,700 have agreed to join the group leave," adding, "The number of judges participating in this movement is expected to increase." He also noted, "Court administrative staff and lawyers are also supporting their movement."
In response, Suharto, spokesperson for the Indonesian Supreme Court, said, "We have decided to hold a meeting to discuss the judges' demands," and added, "We hope the Judicial Commission, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Law and Human Rights will also participate." Regarding the judges' collective action, he stated, "Leave is a right granted to all public officials but requires approval from superiors," expressing opposition to such collective action as it could paralyze court functions.
Indonesian judges have resorted to collective action due to poor treatment. SHI explained that the Indonesian Supreme Court has frozen judges' wages and allowances for 12 years since 2012. The monthly base salary of a newly appointed judge is 2.05 million rupiah (about 180,000 KRW), and even judges with 32 years of service at the highest rank receive only 4.9 million rupiah (about 430,000 KRW) as a base salary. Judges also receive monthly allowances ranging from 8.5 million to 14 million rupiah (about 740,000 to 1,220,000 KRW) depending on the court, but these amounts have remained unchanged for 12 years. Moreover, Indonesian judges receive salaries at the same level as general public officials. Pauzan, SHI spokesperson, argued, "The government's stagnation of judges' wages threatens their livelihoods and represents excessive interference by the executive branch in the judiciary in a separation of powers state," adding, "Judges' salaries and allowances should be proportional to their responsibilities and occupational risks."
On the other hand, Supreme Court judges receive treatment on a different level from ordinary judges. Supreme Court judges receive a much higher base salary along with monthly allowances of around 100 million rupiah (about 8.73 million KRW). Additionally, they receive extra allowances of 2.5 million rupiah (about 220,000 KRW) per case, making their total compensation significantly higher. Furthermore, the Chief Justice of Indonesia's Supreme Court holds a constitutionally equal status to the President and the Speaker of the Parliament.
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