Criminal barristers in England, Wales vote for ‘indefinite’ strike action

Barristers who handle criminal cases in courts across England and Wales on Monday voted in favour of going on strike ''on an indefinite basis'' from September 5, demanding a “fair pay settlement” amid rising inflation in the country.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents lawyers prosecuting and defending those accused of crimes in England and Wales, said its members had voted for an all-out industrial action.

Until now, members have been striking on alternate weeks in a dispute with the government over pay, working conditions and legal aid funding.

“We take great pride in the fact that our members have so consistently demonstrated such a deep commitment to the democratic process. It reflects an unshakeable underlying belief in the power of collective action and a demand to be heard,” the CBA said, following its latest ballot of members.

“In accordance with the terms of the ballot, it follows that the CBA membership has voted in favour of Option 2B [escalation of action]. This means that the weeks of action, combined with no new instructions (which includes no returns), will come into effect on an indefinite basis from Monday, September 5,” it said.

Criminal barristers are due to receive a 15 per cent fee rise from the end of September, meaning they will earn GBP 7,000 more per year.

But there has been anger that the proposed pay rise will not be made effective immediately and will only apply to new cases, not those already in the backlog queues waiting to be dealt with by courts.

UK Justice minister Sarah Dines said the escalation was ''wholly unjustified'' given the pending rise in fees and the Ministry of Justice has said backdating pay would mean exorbitant costs to the taxpayers and take much longer to implement.

But Opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, himself a lawyer and former Director of Public Prosecutions, accused the government of doing ''absolutely nothing'' to resolve such industrial disputes.

Thousands of court hearings have been disrupted as barristers join rail staff, teachers and civil servants in backing or considering industrial action over the coming months as public sector pay lags behind a four-decade high rate of inflation in the UK.