THE Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is expected to take delivery of 10 new vehicles some of which would be allocated to Labour Court judges after they protested against poor working conditions.
FELUNA NLEYA
The resolution to have the vehicle delivery was passed at a recent meeting of the JSC where poor conditions of service for judges were one of the issues on the agenda.
According to the minutes of the inaugural meeting of the JSC held in February this year, Labour Court judges will be given some of the 10 vehicles.
High Court judges are also expected to benefit from the purchase of the cars.
“Ten more new vehicles were expected. It was proposed to distribute them proportionally between High Court judges and Labour Court judges,” reads part of the minutes which were seen by NewsDay.
According to the minutes, the JSC representatives who attended the meeting queried the criteria that had been used in the distribution of the first batch of the vehicles.
However, it was explained that some judges were given precedence over those who had already been allocated Mercedes Benz vehicles.
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“When further vehicles were received, the same method of distribution would be followed,” reads part of the JSC minutes.
In February, Labour Court judges sent a petition to the JSC protesting against their poor working conditions.
They also demanded that they be allocated two vehicles each just like High Court judges.
The Labour Court judges said since they were now at the same level with High Court judges, they deserved same salaries and working conditions.
“In line with the regularisation of conditions of service of Labour Court judges so as to be compliant to the new Constitution which provides that Labour Court and Administrative Court judges shall be on the same conditions as may apply on that date to judges of the High Court, Labour Court judges are consequently entitled to the following vehicles: A Merc (Mercedes Benz) and Discovery for each one with effect from 22nd of August 2013, being the date when the Constitution became effective,” the Labour Court judges said in their position paper to the JSC.
