Judges protest 41 vacancies in Upper Austria courts

Judges and prosecutors protested in Linz on Tuesday over staff shortages in Upper Austria’s courts, where 41 judge positions are vacant. Only a small number of urgent hearings will be held this week, ORF reported.

The vacancies affect four regional courts and 18 district courts. Case numbers are rising, and staff representatives say workloads are now averaging 120 percent, meaning judges have reached the equivalent of a full year’s workload by October.

“The lemon has been squeezed dry,” said Ute Reisinger of the Wels section of the Judges’ Association. She said efficiency and hard work were no longer enough. Six judges are missing at Wels Regional Court alone, she said, adding that the pressure was taking a physical and mental toll.

Christoph Kattnigg of the Linz-Steyr section said judges were often handling eight civil hearings a day, up from five. At Linz Regional Court, only particularly urgent cases, especially custody and criminal matters, will be heard through Friday. Organisers said about 20 hearings were scheduled there this week.

Staff representatives said decisions would also be issued only to a limited extent. They stressed that the action was not a strike: judges would continue working, but reduce the work visible to the public. The protest, they said, was about ending long-term staff shortages, not seeking higher salaries.

Representatives warned that cases could take longer as their number grows and they become more complex. Stefan Pfarrhofer of the Public Service Union said the justice system was increasingly unable to resolve cases within the time the public could reasonably expect. Irene Melot de Beauregard-Jeryczynski said longer proceedings were stressful for those involved.

Prosecutors also called for more staff, citing a rise in reports and more extensive investigations, particularly in economic crime and cybercrime. Hans-Jörg Rauch of the Association of Austrian Public Prosecutors said the Linz senior prosecutor’s district had seen proceedings increase by 38 percent over five years, while staffing positions had risen by 6 percent. He said the current level of criminal prosecution could not be sustained indefinitely.

Justice Ministry representatives have indicated that procedures may be simplified, but have not announced additional positions, according to the staff representatives.