Barristers strike in bid for higher pay [Video]

Criminal barristers are on strike today in pursuit of better pay, in a move which is likely to bring business in criminal courts around the country to a crawl, writes Helen Bruce.

Sara Phelan SC, chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland, said: “No barrister wishes to be in this position, but we have been left with no choice.”

The barristers are calling for the Government to reverse cuts in legal fees imposed during the recession.

They say these have led to two-thirds of criminal barristers leaving the profession within six years, and knock-on delays to trials which impact victims of crime.

The protests will take place at 16 courthouses nationwide and will be the first of three days of withdrawal this month – with two more following on July 15 and 24.

The move is an escalation from a strike on October 3, when business ground almost to a halt …