Thousands of court officials march in Spanish capital for better pay, work conditions

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID (AA) - Around 20,000 officials from general and special bodies of the Ministry of Justice marched in the Spanish capital Madrid on Thursday.

The court officials, who launched an indefinite strike Monday due to a dispute over salaries and working conditions, urged the government to resolve the issue.

Calling on the justice and finance ministries for negotiations, unions said the failure to meet their salary increase demands is "shameful."

The strike decision came after the judicial unions CSIF, STAJ, CCOO and UGT called on 45,000 civil servants, which make up 93% of the staff of courts and tribunals, to go on an indefinite strike to increase pressure on the government.

After more than a month of mobilizations without fruitful negotiations, half a million lawsuits were suspended and more than 30 million legal proceedings were stopped, according to the unions.

Meanwhile, judges and prosecutors gave up on going on an indefinite strike after reaching an agreement with the Justice Ministry last week, ensuring a salary increase of about €450 ($487) and improvements in their working conditions.​​​​​​​