LONDON: British lawyers involved in criminal trials will walkout on Monday over a dispute over government funding, refusing to take on new cases or cover cases for their aides.
Barristers voted for the action earlier this month, with more than 80% of its 2,055 members supporting the walkout, Criminal Bar Association ,cba) Told.
Lawyers working in criminal courts say real earnings have declined 28% since 2006, with junior barristers earning a median income of just £12,200 ($15,030) in their first three years, leaving many people was forced to give up his career.
justice Minister Dominic Rabo said the walkout was regrettable and that the barristers were offered a 15% pay increase. However the CBA said the current proposal would not come until the end of 2023 at the earliest.
“The system was in crisis and is still in crisis, and the cause of action is really to prevent its collapse,” said CBA vice president Kirstie Brimello. BBC radio. “If we continue like this, there will not be enough barristers left to prosecute and defend these cases.”
British courts already have a backlog of some 58,000 cases, partly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the CBA says the justice system has long been in a mess due to a lack of lawyers.
The legal profession walkout, which will take place over five days over the next four weeks, comes after nearly 40,000 railway workers went on strike last week, bringing most of Britain’s rail network to a halt.
Teachers and health workers are also considering strike action, while workers employed by British Airways in London’s Heathrow have also voted for industrial action, threatening chaos at Britain’s biggest airport during the summer break .
Barristers voted for the action earlier this month, with more than 80% of its 2,055 members supporting the walkout, Criminal Bar Association ,cba) Told.
Lawyers working in criminal courts say real earnings have declined 28% since 2006, with junior barristers earning a median income of just £12,200 ($15,030) in their first three years, leaving many people was forced to give up his career.
justice Minister Dominic Rabo said the walkout was regrettable and that the barristers were offered a 15% pay increase. However the CBA said the current proposal would not come until the end of 2023 at the earliest.
“The system was in crisis and is still in crisis, and the cause of action is really to prevent its collapse,” said CBA vice president Kirstie Brimello. BBC radio. “If we continue like this, there will not be enough barristers left to prosecute and defend these cases.”
British courts already have a backlog of some 58,000 cases, partly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the CBA says the justice system has long been in a mess due to a lack of lawyers.
The legal profession walkout, which will take place over five days over the next four weeks, comes after nearly 40,000 railway workers went on strike last week, bringing most of Britain’s rail network to a halt.
Teachers and health workers are also considering strike action, while workers employed by British Airways in London’s Heathrow have also voted for industrial action, threatening chaos at Britain’s biggest airport during the summer break .