The Public Prosecutor’s Office magistrates face an average wait of 891 days — nearly two and a half years — from the start of additional duties to receiving payment from the Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice (DGAJ), according to a statement by the Public Prosecutor’s Magistrates Union (SMMP). This delay was highlighted following the CSMP plenary on October 8, which sided with the magistrates’ complaint regarding “deep injustice and delays in payment.”
The union describes this situation as untenable, citing a clear violation of principles of fairness and legality, exacerbated by differing treatment compared to judiciary magistrates, who receive one-fifth of the stipulated remuneration immediately.
The CSMP has resolved to ask the Ministry of Justice for prompt payment of already determined remunerations and has requested that the Minister of Justice ensures immediate payment of one-fifth of the monthly remuneration “following the decision on additional duties, notwithstanding subsequent adjustments.”
The CSMP reaffirmed, according to the union, that the Ministry of Justice lacks the legal authority to refuse or alter CSMP decisions on service accumulation, with its role limited to setting remuneration amounts within legal limits. It further demands respect for the legitimate expectations of magistrates undertaking extra responsibilities.
To address this, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) will host a meeting with district coordinators on Thursday and Friday (October 16 and 17) to discuss ways to streamline these processes, ensuring work is acknowledged and fairly compensated.
The accumulation of duties by prosecutors was a pivotal issue during the last annual movement of Public Prosecutor’s Office magistrates in September, leading the SMMP to call a strike in July to contest rules allowing function accumulation across distinct areas, such as civil, criminal, and family and minors, and across multiple courts simultaneously. The union deems this move as the final blow to the specialization of these magistrates.
Data from the PGR and the Government, shared during the strike, indicate the CSMP approved 151 duty accumulations by prosecutors since January 2024, within a framework that cost the Ministry of Justice almost two million euros in additional pay since 2020.
According to the Statute of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutors can take on extra duties in different areas or services on an exceptional basis, with potential for a temporary salary increase.
The Ministry of Justice disclosed that from the inception of the accumulation system in 2020 to date, it has paid two million euros through the DGAJ for work related to additional services by prosecutors — a figure expected to rise.
Yearly data reveal that during 2022, accumulations led to the highest payment total: 734,810.62 euros. This is followed by 2021 with 545,763.13 euros; 2023 with 375,978.06 euros; 2020 with 290,207.50 euros; and 2024 with 29,443.94 euros.
“No payments related to 2025 accumulations have yet reached the DGAJ,” the oversight confirmed in July.
