UK solicitors, probation workers stage strike

Criminal solicitors and probation officers in England and Wales have staged a strike in protest against changes introduced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), including cuts to legal aid fees.

The 48-hour strike, which started midday on Monday, is expected to affect magistrates’ and crown courts in major cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds.

According to the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association (LCCSA), police stations would also face delays due to a decreased number of solicitors working.

The strikers are set to assemble at Westminster on Tuesday afternoon for a rally and will afterward march to the Ministry of Justice.

Based on the ministry’s plans, most probation work, supervising low and medium-risk offenders, would be outsourced to private firms and voluntary groups.

“The government plans to outsource 70% of the probation service are untried and untested,” said Ian Lawrence, general secretary of the probation officers’ union Napo.

Meanwhile, solicitors have said that those accused of crimes could be at risk of miscarriages of justice if they do not have access to a “decent” lawyer, because of the legal aid cuts.

“The MoJ is taking a gamble on outsourcing the supervision of the most persistent offenders on release from short-term prison sentences,” said Nicola Hill, president of the LCCSA.

The LCCSA estimate suggests that two-thirds of legal aid firms would close when the cuts are enacted – a total of 1,000 across England and Wales.