The Irish Bar Council has announced a significant escalation in their ongoing campaign for pay restoration, calling for barristers to strike on three dates in July: the 9th, 15th, and 24th. This follows previous actions by barristers, including their first-ever strike last October. The council’s decision comes as frustrations mount over the government’s failure to fully reverse cuts to criminal legal aid funding imposed during the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) era.
According to the announcement, fees paid by the State to criminal barristers are still over 40 percent below 2002 levels in real terms. Despite a 2018 government-commissioned review acknowledging that reversing these cuts was justified, and a recent 10 percent fee restoration in the current year’s budget, the Bar of Ireland points out that full restoration has not occurred. Additionally, the link to public sector pay agreements, which was severed in 2008, remains broken.
The Bar Council has communicated its willingness to allow Justice Minister Helen McEntee until June 30 to complete a proposed review of the structure and level of fees. Sara Phelan SC, chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, stressed the urgency of resolving these issues to avoid further strikes. Sean Guerin SC, chair of the Criminal State Bar Committee, highlighted that the ongoing pay dispute could adversely affect recruitment and retention at the Criminal Bar and could impact the administration of criminal justice.
This latest strike follows the one-day strike organized last October after attempts to negotiate with the government over a new legal scheme failed. The October strike disrupted 147 trial hearings, 182 sentencing hearings, and 46 other court proceedings, indicating the significant impact that further strikes could have on the judicial system.
The forthcoming strikes are poised to intensify the standoff between the Irish government and the nation’s criminal barristers, with critical implications for the legal profession and the broader justice system.