Barristers protesting nationwide today

Criminal barristers pictured outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin today taking part in the nationwide withdrawal of service recommended by The Bar of Ireland to its members who are criminal practitioners, to secure a process of restoration of fees paid by the State.

Fees for criminal barristers remain below 2002 levels in nominal terms, following a range of cuts applied during the financial emergency, while every other group of workers in the criminal justice system has seen pay restoration implemented.

Right up until 1 pm today, members of The Bar of Ireland are staging protests on the steps of courthouses across the country where circuit criminal court business was due to take place.

Criminal practitioner fees were cut during the recession in 2009 and 2010 with another in 2011, while the link with public sector pay agreement was also severed in 2008.

Chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland, Sara Phelan SC, said: “Barristers are not looking for a pay increase.

“All they are looking for is a mechanism to reverse those cuts that were applied and I suppose we’re using the #fairisfair because we see that most other players in the criminal justice system let alone the wider public sector but most other players in the criminal justice system have had those cuts restored already.

“So all we want at the end of the day is fairness.”

Front is Sara Phelan SC, Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland and Seán Guerin SC, Chair of the Criminal State Bar Committee. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.