The Tunisian organization "I See" has filed a lawsuit before the administrative court against a decision by the Ministry of Finance to allocate a financial grant to judges.
According to a statement released by the organization on the website "Al-Tunisia," it announced that it has lodged a case demanding the suspension of the Minister of Finance's decision to provide judges with a special grant. The statement condemned the decision, asserting that it involves "exempting the grant from tax and placing the burden on the employer and social security funds." It expressed hope that the administrative court would quickly respond to the demands outlined in the lawsuit to suspend the implementation of what was described as a "unjust decision that undermines the principle of equality among citizens."
The statement pointed out that "Tunisia is experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis, which necessitates caution, a sense of responsibility, and rationalization of public finances." It noted that the administrative court had previously issued a similar decision on October 18, 2012, suspending the allocation of a special grant to members of the National Constituent Assembly belonging to electoral constituencies outside the republic.
Tunisian judges have been on strike since November 16, which resulted in a complete paralysis of the judicial system in Tunisia, as they demanded improvements to the judicial treatment system, the enactment of a basic law for the profession, as well as better working conditions in courts and health insurance during their work amid the spread of the Coronavirus, and improvements to their financial situation. Many Tunisian judges attributed the strike to the large volume of cases assigned to them, causing exhaustion due to a lack of human resources and poor working conditions within the courts.
On Friday, February 18, the President of the Tunisian Judges Association, Anes Hammadi, announced that an agreement had been reached between the association and the government regarding the judges' demands, indicating that this agreement would lead to the lifting of the general strike that judges have been carrying out in all Tunisian courts since November 16.
