More than 50 prosecutors applied to the Vilnius District Administrative Court (VAAT), requesting an award to compensate for the damage caused by the actions of the state due to insufficient salaries.
The applicants are convinced that Seimas did not illegally raise the salaries of prosecutors since July 1 of this year, when the salaries of judges, Special Investigation Service and intelligence officers were raised, the court declares.
According to the prosecutors, the fact that their salaries were not proportionally increased in the absence of any objective criteria is equivalent to a reduction in their salary and at the same time is a violation of the principle of independence of prosecutors, and also, according to them, the rights to fair remuneration, legitimate expectations and principles of equality were violated.
As announced by VAAT, the court that accepted the prosecutors' lawsuit included the General Prosecutor's Office as a third interested party and obliged the Ministries of Justice and Finance representing the state and the Government to submit feedback.
In the past, judges have already sued the state for insufficient salaries. Some of these cases have been stopped after appealing to the Constitutional Court, while others have not yet received decisions.
At the end of May, the Seimas approved the civil service reform and stipulated that starting July 1 of this year, the wages of mayors, judges of the Constitutional Court, judges of general competence and specialized courts, intelligence officers and officers of the Special Investigation Service will be increased. At that time, prosecutors entered the second stage of salary increases - from January of the following year.
