WEBVTT

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Hello. This room is almost
as full as it was

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when we had those students
here before the election.

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It's nice to see this.
I'll make more jokes

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because you're all tense
and this will have a happy ending.

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If you follow politics, you'll
know that when we started,

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we said we were going to need
two terms to fix the country.

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We didn't consider
your impatience back then.

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We've now experienced
what it means when people

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are waiting reforms for 30 years,
since '95.

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We know we'll have two terms
but we won't have anything

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left to do because you'll
be satisfied with our reforms.

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I'm kidding, but there's a lot
of truth to this.

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All kidding aside,

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I'm not a judge, as you've figured
out. I'm just an engineer.

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I'm puzzled that you had
a lawyer as a Prime Minister

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and that he did nothing
for you.

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I wonder about your collegial
responsibility back then,

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but we engineers enjoy tough
challenges, so thank you

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for the invitation. I would
like to point out

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that I'm a layman. Before I entered
politics, I believed

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that the judiciary is the third
branch of government

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and that it's independent.
That's the perception of laypeople.

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Apparently, the Constitution
says the same thing.

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I was faced with reality at
a friendly lunch

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that didn't end all that amicably.

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I wasn't there to tackle
the independence of the judiciary,

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but I realized that this
independence exists only on paper.

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You have no independence when
it comes to appointing

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your highest representatives,
and you have even less

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independence in monetary matters.

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I thought about this
and realized that even

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in the judiciary, things aren't how
they are portrayed to the public.

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In the meantime, I realized
that it's the same in every sector.

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We apparently live in illusions
about how things ought to be,

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while the real-life situation
in our country is very different.

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We're now in 2023, but even
back in October,

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I said this was going to be
a year of reform.

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And we will carry out
reforms in 2023,

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including wage system reforms.
This can't be excluded

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from other reforms
because if we wish to organize

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the country, we have to tackle
all this at once.

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This year will also be a year
of reforms for the judiciary.

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We'll have reforms ensuring
the autonomy of the judiciary,

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regarding terms and appointments,

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but we'll also reform the operations
of the judicial system,

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and I hope it'll only
get better.

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But we'll start with
wage system reform,

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which needs to be a part
of broader reforms

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of the wage system.

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We're not done.
The happy ending is coming.

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If we don't carry out reform
of the wage system

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in an appropriate manner,
any measure we adopt today

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can only be temporary.
It may last a year or two,

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but we'll then have a repeat
of the current situation.

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And what is that situation?
In the last... let's say since 2008,

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your real wages have declined
five percent.

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Real wages.
Since 2008.

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Those are your average wages,
not the base.

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In the same period, the real
wages of others in the public sector

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have risen by 15%.

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The difference is 20%.

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We can all be puzzled by this.
You can be angry.

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It's always good to express
your feelings because repressed

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emotions won't do you any good.
But these are the facts.

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We're aware of these facts,
and wouldn't you know it,

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these facts aren't true
just for you. They are true

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for all officials. I'm also
mystified why we haven't had

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any smarter Prime Ministers.
Perhaps that's because of the pay.

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There could be a connection.

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I understand you, and I even
share your destiny in a way,

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symbolically, if you will.

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But let's not just talk
about symbolism.

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Reform is coming. Yes, we may need
three or four more months.

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We need to build the foundation
for the courts

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and the judicial system. This will
be up to negotiations. I believe

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we can find
the best solution together.

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You may think I'm just making
promises and you may be wondering

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about the happy ending,
so I decided to do something else

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to show how serious we are.

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We decided that on
January 1, and not June 1,

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we'll approve a pay bonus
for everyone.

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We won't name it because we don't
wish to preordain the character

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of our reform, so we'll call it
a bonus. All officials

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in the judicial branch
will receive this bonus.

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Everyone will get the same
amount, not a percentage.

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That's €600 gross a month
starting January 1.

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The purpose is clear.

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We'd like to increase the base...
This is a temporary measure.

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We don't want to take it back
when the reform is ready.

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We want it to be the foundation
of our reforms.

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Those who are older will naturally
get less in percentage terms,

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but we feel it's right that we first
address those who are paid least.

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We want this bonus to be a clear
indication of where we intend

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to start later on. If you'd like
a calculation, I can make one.

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The average monthly wage
in the judiciary is €4000 gross,

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so the 20% I mentioned
would be €800.

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If we set it at €800, some of you
with below-average wages

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would be worse off after the reform,
and we won't do that.

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We'll rather come up
with a sustainable system,

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so we've decided on €600.

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This isn't the end.
It's a temporary measure

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intended to show you that
we aren't just making promises,

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but that it will go into effect
on January 1 of this year.

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That's it as far as wage system
reform is concerned.