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Criminal barristers vote to end strike action
Criminal Bar Association calls off indefinite strike after barristers accept the Ministry of Justice’s 15% pay offer. However, barristers warn of more walkouts if ministers fail to fulfil their commitments
File photo dated 04/07/22 of criminal defence barristers outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London supporting the ongoing Criminal Bar Association (CBA) action over Government set fees for legal aid advocacy work.
CRIMINAL barristers have narrowly voted to suspend their indefinite strike action — but warned that lawyers were ready to walk out again if the government fails to stick to its pledges.
Just over 57 per cent of Criminal Bar Association (CBA) members voted to accept the Ministry of Justice’s offer of a 15 per cent increase in legal fees to cover the ongoing backlog of criminal cases in the courts, which stands at a whopping 60,000.
The government had previously announced a 15 per cent increase in legal fees but this was rejected by the CBA because it only applied to new cases and not the huge backlog, meaning barristers would likely be waiting years before receiving the uplift to their pay.
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