Barristers in England, Wales end strike after accepting pay deal

LONDON

Barristers in England and Wales ended their strike on Monday after accepting a 15% pay increase from the government, according to the Criminal Bar Association (CBA).

The decision came after a CBA vote that took place from Tuesday evening to midnight Sunday; 57% voted to accept the pay offer.

Barristers have been taking part in walkouts since June, and in September they launched an indefinite strike.

The strike, which added to an already existing court backlog, will now end this evening, with courts returning to normal from Tuesday.

A CBA statement said: "The Criminal Bar Association has a long history of respecting and unifying around the majority vote.”

However, the statement added, that the criminal justice system remains “chronically underfunded”, saying: "Let's keep our eyes firmly on that future and the future of our criminal justice system.”

“It remains the government’s responsibility to stop the criminal justice system tipping over the cliff edge. Barristers should not have to fight so hard again to bring this responsibility back home to government,” it said.

In a Twitter post, Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis said: “This breakthrough is a result of coming together and restarting what I hope to be a constructive relationship as we work to drive down the backlog and ensure victims see justice done sooner.”