Barristers who work in criminal law are to strike for three days next month in response to what they say is a lack of progress by the Government in reviewing their fees.
Last October, in an unprecedented move, barristers and criminal defence solicitors withdrew their services for the first time in a dispute about the Government’s failure to reverse cuts to their pay imposed in the aftermath of the financial crash.
In the subsequent Budget, the Government agreed to increase the fees of criminal barristers and solicitors by 10%.
It also committed to a review process looking at the structure and level of fees paid.
The body representing the country’s barristers, the Council of The Bar of Ireland, said that before the 10% pay restoration, fees paid by the state to criminal barristers were more than 40% below 2002 levels.
It said that even with the 10% increase, cuts applied across the public sector in the financial crisis continue to apply to the profession and the breaking of the link with public sector pay agreements has still not been restored.
It said it wanted the Government to consider these issues through the promised review.
However, it said the review process has not even begun and there is growing frustration amongst criminal law practitioners.
Following consultations and a general meeting earlier this week, it said the “overwhelming view” of those present was in favour of further action.
It said it will be notifying the Government today that criminal law practitioners nationwide plan to strike on Tuesday 9 July, Monday 15 July and Wednesday 24 July.
Chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland Senior Counsel Sara Phelan said they had been willing to allow up until the end of this month for the review promised by the Minister for Justice to be completed.
However, frustration had been growing in light of the fact that it had not even begun.
She said barristers were simply looking for fairness as they were being treated differently to others in the criminal justice system despite delivering reforms and flexibilities.
She said they regretted having to take the action and remained available to engage with the Government.
Senior Counsel Seán Guerin, who is Chair of the Criminal State Bar committee, said they had been left with no choice but to take the action.
The Government had acknowledged there was no good reason why fees shouldn’t be restored, he said, and yet no meaningful progress had been made.
He said the targeting of the Bar represented a “fundamental threat to the integrity of the criminal justice system” and had consequences for the recruitment and retention of barristers that was already creating issues.
There are 2,150 practising barristers currently members of the Bar of Ireland.
