Judicial Council finds complaint by 75 Kumanovo court employees founded

The Judicial Council has ruled the complaint from 75 employees of the Kumanovo Basic Court as founded, after a working group investigated claims of verbal abuse, intimidation and a hostile workplace atmosphere linked to the court president Snezana Manev.

Council team heard testimony on-site; majority found allegations credible

A Judicial Council working group visited the Kumanovo court and spoke with 65 employees; its report was later presented at a Council session. "15 stated that they personally experienced or witnessed the specific allegations in the complaint. Other employees stated that they hear constant shouting, raised tones of address, that they feel pressure and a bad working atmosphere, that they disagree with the way annual leaves are handled, that they feel humiliated and that there is a sense of constant supervision by the president," said Suzana Joshevska Anastasovska, a member of the Judicial Council.

In her written reply to the Council, Manev described the accusations as "unfounded, tendentious and sweeping" and said the complaint was initiated by a small group of employees led by the court administrator, who had demanded discipline and accountability. She defended interventions and checks she carried out, saying they were necessary because the court's service was not functioning responsibly.

The Council vote was divided: eight members considered the complaint founded, while two members argued the Council should not rush or that it lacked jurisdiction to decide. "The way she manages is through excessive strictness, poor verbal communication, fear among employees and I believe that this means going beyond her legal powers and the complaint is founded," Joshevska Anastasovska said.

Members who urged caution stressed procedural safeguards. "We cannot, based on complaints, decide whether to dismiss the president or not, without established facts about how she worked and whether the allegations in the complaints are founded," said Tanja Cacarova Ilievska, a Council member. At the same time, some lawmakers pointed to concrete measures taken by Manev. "Should the president allow employees not to go to work, to be artificially registered through people with cards? In circumstances when the court administrator was asked to take measures — when she saw there were no results, she introduced a notebook for who she considers non-working. If the court wants to be up to date, she should take that on," said Ivica Nikolovski, a Council member.

The trade union UPOZ warned recently that, should the Judicial Council fail to act on the employees' complaints, it could call a strike. The union is demanding Manev's removal over alleged mobbing of some staff. The case remains open within the Judicial Council as it weighs follow-up steps and possible disciplinary measures.

Photo: press material from the event