IT IS expected that the Republic’s senior judges will face pay cuts of about €50,000 a year if the referendum to reduce their pay is passed in the autumn.
The referendum will allow the pay cuts that apply to politicians and civil servants to be extended to the judiciary.
In December 2009, public servants earning over €200,000 a year had their pay cut by 15 per cent. Those earning between €165,000 and €200,000 suffered a 12 per cent cut and those below €165,000 an 8 per cent cut.
Once the referendum is passed those pay cuts will be applied to the country’s judges on the same basis.
Further cuts in the pay of those earning more than €200,000 in the Civil Service and the semi-State sector are expected to be approved by the Government in the coming weeks and they will also apply to judges in that earnings bracket. On the basis of the cuts already in place across the public service High Court judges stand to have their pay of €243,080 reduced by €36,450 a year. They will face a further reduction on top of that after the Government agrees to the proposals of Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin on a new scale for those earning more than €200,000 a year.
At present the Chief Justice is paid €295,916, the president of the High Court €274,779, and Supreme Court Judges €257,872. The president of the Circuit Court receives €249,418 while High Court Judges get €243,080.
All of these salaries will be cut by 15 per cent to bring them into line with senior grades in the Civil Service to whom their pay is linked.
On top of this 15 per cent pay cut they will also be affected by whatever new pay cuts for public servants earning more than €200,000 are agreed by the Government on the recommendation of Mr Howlin.
The pay cut for the president of the District Court who earns €183,894 and Circuit Court judges, who are paid €177,554, will be 12 per cent.
They are unlikely to be subject to any immediate further cuts as they are below the €200,000 threshold.
Judges were also exempt from the pension levy applied to the public service before the pay cuts.
The majority of judges made a voluntary contribution to the Revenue Commissioners on the recommendation of Chief Justice John Murray.
However, 21 out of the country’s 147 judges did not make any contribution.
