Criminal barristers begin an indefinite strike after rejecting a 15% wage raise; they demand a 25% increase in legal aid and fees to prevent young lawyers from leaving the field.
Indefinitely, criminal barristers are striking over legal aid fees.
The government has granted a 15% increase, but the CBA demands a 25% increase.
Since June, members of the Criminal Bar Association have walked out on alternate weeks, and last week they opted for an indefinite strike.
Sir Keir Starmer, a former leading British attorney, has criticized Justice Secretary Dominic Raab for being on vacation when the referendum was called.
Due to the 15% wage increase, the average annual salary of criminal barristers will increase £7,000 to £86,800.
Due to the continuation of their dispute with the government, criminal barristers in England and Wales have begun a continuous strike as of today.
Last Monday, members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) voted in favor of an indefinite, unbroken strike. CBA members have been walking out every other week.
To stem the migration of young barristers, the CBA is asking a 25% increase in legal aid fees, but the government has refused to negotiate on its 15% offer.
The 15% wage increase will increase the average annual income of criminal barristers by £7,000 to £86,800.
Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have gone on strike every other week and voted last week for an indefinite, continuous strike (Pictured: Barristers demonstrating in Parliament Square, London during a strike on July 11)
The CBA is requesting a 25% increase in legal aid fees to stem the loss of young barristers (Pictured: Barristers demonstrating outside the Old Bailey during a strike on June 27)
The radical all-out strike has been in place since Tuesday of last week, when previously scheduled walkouts continued.
According to the BBC, the CBA has established a hardship fund to compensate strikers for their lost income, funded by Union coffers.
Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party and former Director of Public Prosecutions, has previously accused the government of doing “absolutely nothing” to address disagreements, after it was revealed that Justice Secretary Dominic Raab was on vacation when the election result was declared.
Since June, CBA employees have intermittently gone on strike, which escalated to week-long strikes in August.
According to Sir Christopher Bellamy’s Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid, the median fee income, before expenses, for self-declared full-time criminal barristers in 2020 was £79,800.
In their first three years of practice, full-time criminal barristers earned an average of £12,200 annually, according to the Criminal Bar Association. However, the average earnings after expenses for the entire industry range between £55,900 and £63,100.
Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu, speaks outside the Old Bailey on June 27 during an earlier barristers strike.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab was on vacation when the election result was announced.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party and former director of public prosecutions, has previously accused the government of doing “absolutely nothing” to resolve disputes.
On Tuesday, demonstrations in favor of the strikes will be conducted in front of the Supreme Court in London, as well as the courts in Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds.
According to Ministry of Justice data, more than 6,000 court sessions have been impacted by the conflict over the terms and costs imposed by the government for legal aid advocacy work.
Beginning at the end of September, barristers will receive a 15 percent fee increase, earning £7,000 extra annually.
However, there is outrage that the increase will not be immediate and would not apply to backlogged cases.
As of today, criminal barristers in England and Wales will effectively be on a continuous strike, as their dispute with the government over pay escalates.
Mr. Raab has accused barristers of “holding justice for ransom,” stating, “My message to the CBA is straightforward. We are raising your salary.
Now your actions are simply damaging victims and worsening the backlog in the legal system.
But Claire Waxman, Victims’ Commissioner for London, stated: ‘Those who have failed to support a functional legal system are solely guilty for holding justice to ransom.’