Criminal barristers protest at Waterford Courthouse

Criminal barristers across 16 courthouses withdrew their services today in protest against pay.

This is an escalation on the action taken by criminal barristers all over the country on October 3^rd, with the aim of seeking an independent, meaningful, time-limited, and binding mechanism to determine the fees paid to criminal barristers by the Director of Public Prosecutions and under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Scheme.

Restoration

Following the first withdrawal on October 3^rd, 2023, a 10% restoration was subsequently announced in Budget 2024 on October 10^th, 2023. However, even after this 10% was restored, the full range of FEMPI-era cuts that were applied across the public sector, continue to apply to the profession, and the unilateral breaking of the link (in 2008) to public sector pay agreements has yet to be restored.

This is despite a Government-commissioned review in 2018 acknowledging that the reversal of the cuts was justified given the level of reform and flexibility delivered by the profession.

Local protest

Speaking to WLR News, Barrister Conor O'Doherty at Waterford Courthouse says they just want to be treated fairly.

Protests took place at 16 courthouses today as part of a nationwide withdrawal of service by criminal barristers, in response to a lack of progress on fee restoration. This was the first of three planned days of withdrawal this month and is an escalation on the unprecedented action taken by criminal barristers all over the country last October. The full range of FEMPI-era cuts that were applied across the public sector continue to apply to the profession and the unilateral breaking of the link to public sector pay agreements has yet to be restored. Pictured at Waterford Courthouse are Conor O'Doherty, Claire Collins, Mary O'Dwyer, Paul Hutchinson and Tom Kelly, all from Waterford- David Clynch

Pictured at Waterford Courthouse are Barristers Conor O'Doherty, Claire Collins, Mary O'Dwyer, Paul Hutchinson, and Tom Kelly, all from Waterford- Photo David Clynch.

"The reality is that two-thirds of criminal barristers are leaving within six years of practice because they can't make a living in it, and the government in the country is facing a very significant issue in terms of the resourcing of criminal justice because of the fact that people can't get a start in the profession.

"All we're asking for is the restoration of emergency fee cuts that everyone else had restored. We're here today because barristers and solicitors are the only stakeholders in the criminal justice system who haven't had the emergency cuts restored.

"Everyone else and rightly so has had cuts restored, and barristers and solicitors appear to be discriminated against for no good reason, despite repeated assurances that the cuts would be restored and they haven't been so we've had to take this action because of that."

For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.