New strikes will grip the nation after criminal barristers backed an all-out walkout – and said it will last INDEFINITELY.
Thousands of barristers will now refuse to take on any new cases “on an indefinite basis” from Monday 5 September.
The Criminal Bar Association is demanding a 25% rise in legal aid fees from government after years of cuts. They were already due to strike the week before – so their last day will be Friday 26 August.
Barristers had already been walking out on alternate weeks, but 80% voted to “escalate” the dispute in a third ballot.
The move is set to worsen the 60,000 backlog in court cases – but barristers say the glut was created by lack of government funding which must be tackled.
Vice chairwoman of the CBA, Kirsty Brimelow QC, said it was a “last resort” – and her association was demanding less money than it costs the Government for courts to sit empty.
She said: “The effect (of the strike) will be that the courts continue to sit empty with trials and cases not being heard…
“The remedy is for an injection of money into the backlog of cases which currently stands at 60,000 cases, that barristers are working on that will cost the Government only £1.1m per month.
“Currently, it’s costing much more for the courts to sit empty.”
At the same time today, the GMB union balloted more than 100,000 local government workers including carers, school staff, social workers, and bin collectors over a pay deal.
The ballot will close on October 21, risking a winter of discontent with bins going uncollected. Bin workers in Edinburgh already started an 11-day strike on Thursday, with waste piling up in popular tourist spots during the busy festival season.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said: “These workers kept our vital institutions running during the pandemic. Like the rest of us, they’re on the brink of poverty thanks to the crushing cost of living crisis.
“Any real terms pay cuts risks deepening the staffing crisis, but it’s for our members to decide whether they want to accept this offer.”
This breaking news story is being updated.