Lawyers in England and Wales involved in criminal trials have voted to begin striking indefinitely from next month, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has announced this morning
Barristers have been taking intermittent action for months, refusing to take on new cases or cover cases for colleagues which have overrun. The CBA said almost 80% of voting members had now backed escalating that action.
They will now walk out indefinitely from 5th September.
“It is a decision to which we have been driven after years and years of abject neglect of the Criminal Justice System and the cynical exploitation of our time, effort and goodwill by successive governments determined to deliver justice on the cheap,” the CBA’s leadership said in a letter to members when the strike ballot opened.
The CBA is asking for a 25% pay rise for legal aid work, when they represent defendants who could not otherwise afford lawyers.
Criminal barristers are due to receive a 15% fee rise from the end of September, with the Ministry of Justice saying the increase would mean the average barrister earns about £7,000 more annually.
