Minister Gabriela Bravo took part in a mediated session, accompanied by Justice Minister Pilar Llop, to initiate a dialogue aimed at resolving the dispute that has left the Justice Department lawyers on an extended strike for a month. This stoppage has produced a significant disruption in the public service and raised concerns about access to justice for citizens across the country.
The protest stemmed from a formal request sent by Alicante’s group of legal bodies to the autonomous authority overseeing Justice, urging him to convey to the minister their anxiety about the substantial harm caused to citizens, professionals, and the broader community. The action effectively hampered the functioning of key judicial organs and heightened the sense of urgency among those affected.
The organizers of the meeting between the ministry and the strike committee, which convened at the gates of the second session planned for Friday morning, worry that the discussion may focus solely on expanding minimal services. They question the apparent indifference to facilitating a direct dialogue with the ministry that could lead to a concrete agreement to end the conflict, noting that the current approach risks prolonging disruption rather than addressing core grievances.
Among the central demands of the strikers is the call for Justice to honor wage improvements agreed with the institution a year ago, aligned with the new powers granted to the department. The request emphasizes the need for fair compensation in light of increased responsibilities and the impact of the strike on timely judicial proceedings.
Yesterday, Llop urged the collective to move beyond what were described as “maximalist positions,” arguing that the strike has caused considerable damage. One of the contested ideas is a proposed down payment mechanism that would tie lawyers’ earnings to the salaries of judges and prosecutors, a model some say would set a wage floor at 85 percent of those benchmarks. He noted that such a framework does not enjoy broad support from judicial associations or other political forces, portraying it as a necessary compromise rather than a non-negotiable stance.
He also highlighted that since assuming office, the ministry has addressed numerous requests from former court clerks, including reorganizing service commissions and calls for transfer competitions, signaling a willingness to implement structural improvements that benefit frontline judicial workers and streamline operations within the system.
At the same time, Congress pressed the minister to advance the salary enhancements requested by the LAJ, a position that failed to secure votes from the two governing parties. The measure emerged from a question posed to the minister the previous week and has found support among some allies of the government, alongside backing from parties such as Vox and Ciudadanos in certain contexts, reflecting a broader debate over fiscal policy and public sector compensation.
Data from law associations indicate that the strike has had nationwide effects, with tens of thousands of procedural proceedings delayed or suspended and a substantial portion of the public’s access to timely justice affected. The resolution calls on the Government to promptly resolve the workers’ dispute with the LAJ, to compensate for delays in procedural proceedings caused by the stoppage, and to ensure that any resolution does not simply transfer increased workloads to other professionals within the sector.
In Benidorm, local legal professionals argued that the minimum 30 percent service shift prescribed by the dispute was excessive. They filed a formal complaint with the Ombudsman, alleging that negotiations had not been pursued satisfactorily and that the right to strike had not been adequately respected, raising questions about pension-related considerations and the need for a balanced approach to maintaining essential judicial services while allowing workers to exercise their rights.