Judges get salary increase
Published:Thursday | May 20, 2021 | 12:09 AM
Judges have received a pay increase effective April 1, 2020.
The Judiciary (Salaries) Order 2021 reflects the adjustments in the salaries, which were approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.
The order was considered by the Regulations Committee of the House of Representatives on May 12 in keeping with the Standing Orders.
The Chief Justice and the President of the Court of Appeal’s salaries have moved from a little over $11 million to approximately $11.6 million.
A judge of the Court of Appeal will now take home a little more than $10.2 million per annum, increasing from about $9.7 million.
A senior puisne judge will now be paid some $9.4 million, up from a little more than $9 million.
The salary of a puisne judge has now increased from $8.2 million to a little more than $9 million per annum.
The Ninth Independent Commission was established with effect from September 25, 2019 by the Ministry of Justice to enquire into the adequacy of judges’ benefits generally and make recommendations as the commission considered appropriate.
In recommending a salary increase to judges, the commission considered the prevailing health crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the budgetary implications across the public sector, and the relative demand and supply dynamics in the wider legal profession and the implication for pricing legal services, remuneration to lawyers and the resulting ability of the judiciary to attract talent in the medium and long term.
It also considered the demand for judges in other jurisdictions in the Caribbean and the pay rates that may induce “talent flight” from the local judiciary.