Barristers are voting on plans for an all-out strike next month as part of a row with the Government over jobs and pay. Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have been walking out on alternate weeks but are now being balloted on an indefinite, uninterrupted strike that would start on September 5.
The ballot closes at midnight on Sunday, with the result expected on Monday. According to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted as a result of the dispute over conditions and Government-set fees for legal aid advocacy work.
Data released under freedom of information laws show that during the first 19 days of industrial action, between June 27 and August 5, there were 6,235 court cases disrupted, including 1,415 trials, across England and Wales. The CBA said the action was already having a “devastating impact on the ability of our crown courts to function with any semblance of normality” and that the “continuing refusal of the Justice Secretary to negotiate a fair settlement with criminal barristers comes at a very heavy price”.
