Moldovan judges are threatening to organize a so-called “Japanese strike” and temporarily suspend court activity in protest against provisions of a draft law on public-sector salaries.
In a message addressed to the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM), the judges are asking the council to publicly support their action and inform the government and Parliament about the planned protest measures.
The judges referred to the SCM’s decision of September 29, 2026, which gave a negative opinion on the draft legislation.
According to the magistrates, the proposed system would promote judges by only two salary classes while simultaneously reducing the coefficient from 8.48 to 6.85. As a result, they say, a judge with up to eight years of experience would receive an increase of approximately 560 lei.
The judges also criticized the Finance Ministry’s response, issued the following day, that the state is “limited by budget revenues.”
“After such a response, an opinion is no longer sufficient, and the judiciary must express its position openly,” the judges said.
The magistrates argue that the issue is not new. They referred to Constitutional Court rulings dating back to 2018, according to which judicial remuneration is a key component of judicial independence and a counterbalance to the restrictions imposed on the office.
They also cited a Constitutional Court ruling of December 6, 2022, which they say established that the annual adjustment of the reference value for judges is mandatory and must cover at least the inflation rate.
“The 2022 ruling has not been implemented to this day, and the draft under discussion does not implement it either. The General Assembly of Judges in December 2024 called, with 308 votes, for the indexation of judges’ salaries. This request was not heard either,” the magistrates said.
The judges also referred to European Union law and negotiations under Chapter 23, covering the judiciary and fundamental rights. According to the magistrates, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 2025 that remuneration corresponding to the importance of judicial functions constitutes an essential safeguard for judicial independence.
The judges further claim that, as of 2022, a Moldovan magistrate at the end of their career earned €19,270 per year — around one-fifth of the median salary in Council of Europe member states, which they put at €100,367.
As part of the planned protest, judges say they will wear a white armband over their robes starting October 12, 2026, and will continue doing so until the salary issue is resolved.
On October 12, judges plan to suspend court activity for at least two hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The measure would exclude urgent cases, including decisions on the application or extension of pre-trial detention and other preventive measures, protection orders in domestic violence cases, and other proceedings classified as urgent by law.
The judges are also calling for an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly of Judges if the issue is not resolved within one week after the protest begins.
Professional judicial associations have also been asked to publicly support the initiative.
