THE EDITOR – Thousands of judges from all over Indonesia have agreed to take collective leave from 7 to 13 October. The Editor’s investigation has revealed that this action was taken to express the judges’s concerns about what they see as poor welfare.
“Our welfare has not changed for decades and our conditions have started to suffocate. Especially the first level judges in the regions,” said Isna Latifa, 30, spokesperson for the Indonesian Judges Solidarity (SHI), to The Editor on Thursday (3/10/2024).
Isna explained that the joint leave action was taken by the judges so as not to harm their profession and violate procedures.
“Vacation is something legal. So we call on all friends who have leave to use it in this joint leave action,” she said.
During the joint leave action, she continued, judges from all over Indonesia will gather in Jakarta.
They will visit a number of state offices and institutions such as the Supreme Court, the Central Executive Office of IKAHI (Indonesian Judges Association), and the Office of the President.
Isna said that SHI is currently fighting for the rights of judges in Indonesia that have been sidelined since 2012. They are asking for a 242% increase in the basic salary of judges in 2012.
What Problems Do Judges Face in Indonesia?
Isna said that, so far, judges have faced various problems while on duty.
“The needs of the judges, even though (they live and work) in the regions, are many times more because of the risks of the job. Unfortunately, we are not well facilitated by the state,” she explained.
Take Isna herself. As a judge at the Jeneponto City Religious Court in South Sulawesi, she is not provided with an official government vehicle even though she admits that she needs a high level of security and privacy to carry out her daily work as a judge.
“If I want to go to a big city, I have to use public transport. I need privacy, I rent one,” she said. “Especially when I am dealing with cases and there are parties that I beat.”
Not only that. Isna also admitted that although she is a judge, she does not have an official residence. She lives in a rented house with a salary of less than IDR 4,000,000 per month.
How Much Salary Does SHI Demand?
The amount of salary to be proposed by SHI refers to the Government Regulation. This is because judges are not civil servants, but state officials.
Based on this, SHI formulated the ideal salary for judges by referring to inflation data provided by Bank Indonesia from 2012 to 2023.
With an average annual inflation rate of 4.1%, they requested a salary increase of 242%.
In addition to the basic salary in accordance with Supreme Court Decision No. 23 P/HUM/2018 and the position allowance for judges in judicial bodies under the Supreme Court, SHI also raised other issues related to the welfare of judges.
From The Editor’s monitoring, it is known that SHI is highlighting the issue of judges’ expense allowance, which is currently regulated in Appendix III of Government Regulation No. 74/2016 on Amendments to Government Regulation No. 94/2012 on Financial Rights and Facilities of Judges under the Supreme Court.
The regulation was enacted in 2012 and has reportedly never been amended.
