Courtroom strike affects two media-covered sessions

Two court proceedings at the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok near Bratislava that have gained media coverage will be postponed until further notice due to the strike of court employees this coming Thursday, TASR learnt on Tuesday. The proceedings involved a trial against alleged eastern Slovakia mob boss Robert O, as well as a public session where a plea deal with three defendants facing charges over the alleged match fixing of football matches. While a new date for the former case is unknown as yet, the second session has been rescheduled to the first half of March. By contrast, the Specialised Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica will hold a trial against Robert L., nicknamed 'Bucket', and a few more people from the so-called Sykora gang, who are charged with multiple murders. The single-day strike of court employees is to be joined by the majority of Specialised Criminal Court employees, or some 35 people. Judges and senior officials will be required to work regardless, as they are forbidden by the Constitution from going on strike. The court employees are to enter the strike with four demands: increasing the Justice Ministry's budget by 25 percent, ensuring the functioning of courts in terms of material and personnel, passing a law on the standing of employees in the judiciary and improving the social situation of the sector's employees.