Barristers in Liverpool are set to join a national strike that could bring trials in the city’s crown courts to a halt for days at a time throughout the summer.
Over 80% of the Criminal Bar Association’s members voted to escalate a dispute between barristers and the government over Legal Aid funding that has been ongoing for months. The body, which represents criminal barristers, says the government is failing to invest an adequate amount of funding into the legal system, causing barristers to flee the profession and contributing to the courts backlog.
The results of the ballot of CBA members, announced this morning, means barristers will not work next Monday or Tuesday. The strikes would then continue for a number of weeks.
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There are plans for further walk outs between July 11-14, and for the entire week starting on Monday 18 July. From August, walkouts will follow that pattern of escalation as the month progresses, with the CBA warning the action has “no end date”.
In a statement accompanying the ballot result, CBA chair Jo Sidhu, QC, and vice chair Kirsty Brimelow, QC, said the action was necessary to prevent the continued decline in the number of barristers working in the profession and stop court backlogs from getting worse.
The statement said: “Without immediate action to halt the exodus of criminal barristers from our ranks, the record backlog that has crippled our courts will continue to inflict misery upon victims and defendants alike, and the public will be betrayed.
“This second ballot has reaffirmed our reputation as an open and democratic association. Our members have always respected the outcome of a free and fair voting process, whatever the result. We will therefore be faithful to the ballot. Our unity is our strength.”
The Ministry of Justice has not yet commented on the results of the ballot.
