Representative bodies for criminal legal aid lawyers are urging their members to join the trade union Unite – a move that would enable them to undertake full-blown strike action.
The move comes after months of consultations with trade unions to determine the best option for criminal solicitors pushing for increased fees and working conditions.
Committees of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association (LCCSA) and the Criminal Law Solicitors Association (CLSA) announced their decision to advocate for Unite membership in a statement this week. They said: ‘The committees believe that only the collective force of our numbers can make a critical difference in the fight for legal aid, for our professional futures and for the fair trial rights of our clients.
‘The professional membership bodies and individual firms have been sounding the alarm for years about the devastating effect that cuts and lack of investment have had on the justice system. In spite of these efforts, pressures on legal workers have increased whilst pay rates have stagnated or gone backwards. Recruitment, retention and the mental and physical health of lawyers and legal workers are at an all-time low. This situation cannot continue.’
The committees said they had chosen Unite, the largest trade union in the country, because: it has an established legal branch with funds to commit to their cause; is focused on large scale wins; and is highly resourced and can coordinate industrial action.
Yesterday Unite members working for the charity Oxfam voted to strike for the first time. In July the union organised eight days of strike action involving thousands of workers at Gatwick Airport.
