On Monday the Court of Auditors announced that the wage cuts suffered by judicial officers as of August 1st 2012 are against constitutional provisions and the European Convention of Human Rights.

As such, the coalition government will be forced to pay back about 150 million euros to the judicial officers, while finding the resources to cover the budget shortfall. Specifically, the Court of Auditors is believed to have decided that while wage cuts are possible, the government must first estimate the fiscal impact of these cuts.

This decision will likely set a precedent for other worker groups in the public sector on special wage scales, such as military officers, diplomats, university professors, healthcare system directors etc. The courts have repeatedly ruled against the “bailout laws” and wage cuts introduced in recent years, with an unnamed high-ranking judicial officer warning of a “tsunami” of appeals.