The five major trade union confederations are calling for the rejection of more than 700 assistant judge positions

The five major trade union confederations are asking parliamentarians to reject the Superior Council of Magistracy’s request to supplement staff structures with 712 judicial assistant positions. The unions argue that the funds should instead be directed toward filling vacant positions for judges, court clerks, and judicial assistants, categories considered essential for the functioning of the courts.

In an open letter sent on Monday, Cartel ALFA, the National Trade Union Bloc, CNSLR-Frăția, the Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions of Romania, and the Meridian Confederation called for the proposal to be rejected and for an independent evaluation of the pilot project through which the position of judicial assistant was introduced.

Project SIPOCA 751, financed with more than 72 million lei, led to the hiring of 165 assistants.

However, the unions say that the available reports do not demonstrate significant reductions in the duration of proceedings, delays in drafting rulings, or the caseload backlog. In their view, the assistants’ duties overlap with those of court clerks and can be carried out, in part, through the ECRIS 5 system.

In February, the SCM described the human resources situation in the courts as critical and estimated that 712 additional positions were needed for a ratio of one assistant to three judges.