Whether for the judicial sector or the public sector, any increase in salaries or attempts to improve living conditions will not meet the aspirations of employees in the public sector or fulfill the needs of a judge. Regardless of the proposed amounts, they will certainly fall short of ensuring a decent standard of living for both parties. The judiciary, which is experiencing its worst days or periods ever, has become a hostage to one crisis after another due to the lack of decisive action, with politics casting a shadow over every minor and major decision, and most judges being subservient to politicians, including the decision-makers. The country is held captive by a paralyzed judiciary, and judges are prisoners and victims of the deteriorating economic situation.
For some time now, judges have been living on promises of improving their circumstances, especially since the proposal to set their salaries based on an exchange rate of 8,000 pounds from banks came to an end. This proposal embarrassed the banks amidst the backlash faced by judges, who are suffering from various issues, similar to those affecting public administration employees in Lebanon across different categories. While the public sector has long suffered from neglect, what remains unknown is the judiciary's ability to retain the younger generation of judges and qualified individuals who are expected to contribute to reforms and form a unique circle unbound by any political entity. It seems that the political authority or the state, in its current form, is unable to sustain the judiciary amidst the collapse of the public sector as it stands.
The crisis in the judiciary begins with the collapsed logistical situation and the lack of office supplies in judicial facilities, in addition to salaries that have lost 95% of their value with no hope for improvement. There is also a lack of an economic plan or vision by the political authority to retain the young judge demographic, which constitutes 60% of the judiciary, aged between 25 and 40 years. This alone signifies a marker of general decay.
The continuation of the crisis threatens significant numbers of judges to leave, not solely to work abroad but also to contract with the private sector, which has already begun to attract several prominent names in the judiciary, amidst a trend of internal migration towards law offices, teaching, or contracting with NGOs. Those likely to leave are judges who have distanced themselves from the political structure, representing the most important segment, and intensive communications are being held with judges to establish agreements in this regard.
Judges still hold hope for salary improvements, as the Judicial Council has made the issue subject to the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the proposal for judges to receive their salaries based on the 8,000-pound exchange rate was discarded due to the crisis it caused in the public sector. The solidarity fund has taken on the task of providing certain assistance to judges, although the mechanisms remain unclear. Alongside the advance provided to Lebanese university professors, a similar aid will be given to judges through support from the solidarity fund, though the expected figures or anticipated raises will not be substantial according to judges’ expectations and will come in the form of grants.
Judicial sources close to the issue affirm that there is nothing concrete to build upon as of today, while no movements have been recorded from the responsible parties in the solidarity fund regarding financial improvements, keeping discussions and speculations at the forefront. The hope for the desired improvements among judges remains slim, as salaries will not exceed the threshold of one thousand dollars, which does not align with the prevailing inflation rate. The judiciary is in crisis, just like the country. Solutions for judicial matters are far-reaching, amidst the absence of the state in its presumed role, prompting the saying of the poet: “You would have heard had you called a living one / But there is no life in those you call.”
