Now is not the right time for an increase in the wages of the judiciary, according to Labour leader Joseph Muscat.

However, Dr Muscat said yesterday the government was not in a position to argue against the pay rises requested by the judiciary after Cabinet approved a weekly increase of €500 for ministers.

“The government failed to lead by example and in any case I believe the time is not right for any of the increases,” Dr Muscat said during an interview on the PBS radio programme Għandi x’Ngħid.

Dr Muscat said he was not aware of the official demands made by the judiciary.

It was the Labour leader’s first reaction on the controversy that has been brewing since the Victory Day celebrations on September 8 when members of the judiciary en masse chose not to turn up for the official functions. The informal boycott was then repeated on Independence Day.

In his customary speech during a ceremony at the Law Courts at the beginning of October marking the opening of the forensic year, Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri called for better salaries and working conditions for the judiciary.

Although no official figures on the demands made by the judiciary have been published, last week the current affairs programme Bondi+ released figures from what it described as “very reliable sources” showing that judges and magistrates wanted their salaries to double.

According to the programme, judges are eyeing an increase to €92,000 from €52,000 while magistrates want their €46,000 annual salary to be raised to €90,000. If the proposed figures are taken on board, the Chief Justice’s salary would increase from €59,000 to €100,000.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com