Barristers' strike calls a halt to Circuit Court sitting in Castlebar

The first day of the Circuit Criminal court sessions in Castlebar was disrupted today when barristers who work in criminal law took part in a national withdrawal of services. The practitioners said they have been frustrated by the government's refusal to reverse cuts to their pay imposed in the aftermath of the financial crash. The protest in Castlebar meant Judge Eoin Garavan had no option but to defer today's court business until tomorrow.

The barristers were protesting outside courthouses across the country between 10am and 1pm today, including at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin.

The organisation representing the country's barristers said its members had no alternative but to take today's unprecedented action.

In Castlebar, local barrister Diarmuid Connolly said the protest was all about equality.

“Every sector of the workforce who were being paid by the public purse inherited and took pay cuts back in the time of 2006 to 2008 and barristers were no different. However, we remain the only sector who haven't had the pay cuts reversed. That's patently unfair and is an equality issue.

“If I go into court, the judge will have had their pay restored, the registrars will have had their pay restored, the Chief Solicitor will have their pay restored, the prison officers will have had their pay restored and this is perfectly in order, but the only sector not to have their pay restored is ourselves,” he added before stating that the current situation may have a severe knock-on impact on the availability of legal advice in Mayo into the future.

“The other very pressing issue is that if the practice of criminal law becomes unsustainable because the fees aren't restored there will be a brain drain which will mean that people who practise criminal law will stay in the cities and anyone from Mayo wanting to consult with their barrister will have to travel to the cities in much the same was as you do if you want to see a medical consultant and that's patently unsustainable going forward.

“At the moment, we're living and working in the community so our solicitors can call us in the morning and we may be able to meet the client at lunch time or in the afternoon. That's possible because we're here and accessible. If we were based in Galway or Dublin that wouldn't be possible.

“The entire legal aid system is arguably the best value in government spending when you think of the volume of cases dealt with all year round by this profession and to simply not restore the fees to only one sector across the board is patently unfair.

“It's a very regrettable situation we find ourselves in and no self-employed person wants to go on strike and we are deeply remorseful for the inconvenience it will cause to the courts service, to our colleagues and in particular to our clients, but we've had to take this measure.”

Today's Castlebar District Court sitting was also affected by the industrial action.