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In Saxony, vacant judge positions are leading to massive delays: At the Saxon State Labor Court in Chemnitz, only two out of nine chambers are currently dealing with new procedures.
Every month, in some chambers, there are twice as many cases as can be processed, says court spokesman Frank Heuwerth.
"That's a catastrophe."
Three chambers are permanently vacant, the chairman of two other chambers has been ill for a year, and the position of vice president has been vacant for a long time.
According to the court, positions were not filled promptly after judges retired due to age.
“In the meantime, a colleague from the Dresden labor court and a judge from the regional court in Leipzig have been seconded to the state labor court to support us here,” says Heuwerth.
The situation is still dramatic: "In my chamber alone, there are around 200 appeals and complaints procedures, around 80 are normal."
The terms are now about a year and a half, says the judge.
“A matter that is received here now will not be negotiated before 2024.” He himself is still taking care of layoffs from 2020.
However, there is hope: "The sick colleague is scheduled to return to work at the end of February, the vice-presidential position will be filled in the coming months, and two other appointment procedures are also underway." According to Heuwerth, the court cannot fulfill the statutory principle of acceleration: "Everything up to here working normally again, it will definitely take up to two years.«
As in many federal states, complaints about the lack of judges are increasing in Saxony.
"Overall, there are too few judges and public prosecutors in the Saxon judiciary to be able to cope with the growing tasks in a reasonable amount of time," said the deputy chairman of the Saxon judges' association, Alexander Brech, to the MDR.
Vacancies are not filled quickly enough, and at the same time the average age is also increasing in other legal professions: lawyers in Saxony are now on average 51 years old.