Courts go on strike throughout Spain

This Wednesday February 20 will see judges, prosecutors, lawyers and court secretaries go on strike in courts throughout Spain.

They are to protest against their working conditions, which they say are being worsened by changes that were introduced by Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon in October.

This is the second strike in two months, and only the third time that legal professioh has  staged industrial action since Spain returned to democracy.

Gallardon has cut the number of substitute judges, increasing the workload of magistrates, and reduced their days off.

Their workload has been increased by new legal taxes, evictions, tougher sentencing conditions, and the requirement for people to pay court fees to bring civil suits.

Gallardon also intends to overhaul the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the watchdog that oversees the country’s legal system, a move that judges see as political interference.