National
Spanish Judicary Civil Servants vote to continue strike action
By h.b.
Apr 2, 2008 - 8:46 PM

Civil Servants in the Spanish judiciary have rejected a deal accepted by their union to return to work. In a referendum more than 85% of the workers said no to the latest offer from the Ministry for Justice of a 180 € a month pay increase. It seems the workers were unhappy that the increase was to have been introduced in stages, 140 € this year and 180 € in 2009.

The strike, which started on February 4 and which now continues, has been causing severe disruption to the judicial system in many parts of the country where the responsibility for the judiciary has not been devolved to the regions. The workers are demanding they be paid the same as their colleagues in the other areas.

They have voted to continue the strike action in Burgos, Segovia, Toledo, Cuenca, Salamanca, Valladolid, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, La Rioja, León, Asturias and Murcia.

A statement from the acting Minister for Justice, Mariano Fernández Bermejo, said he did not understand why the unions had called on the workers to vote no to the deal which they had earlier agreed in principle.