Judicial salary cuts - Government must lead by example

For more than a year the Government has been talking about cutting back on expenditure, because the country is clearly living beyond its means.

The Government has been promising to lead by example.

Obviously those who earn most from the public purse are going to be hit. Members of the judiciary benefited handsomely from a series of substantial pay increases during the boom years, but there seems to be a great deal of confusion about whether they will have to make any contribution now, because the Government feels constrained by article 35.5 of the Constitution, which stipulates that: “The remuneration of a judge shall not be reduced during his continuance in office.”