The government has come under fire for “doing absolutely nothing” to resolve a series of industrial disputes which has hit various sectors amid the cost of living crisis.
Millions of households “are struggling to make ends meet” and the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer blasted the government over their handling of the situation.
On Monday members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) voted for an indefinite, uninterrupted strike that would start in England and Wales on 5 September.
Dominic Raab the justice secretary is on leave until Thursday with his family in Surrey and he has not met with the CBA since their members went on strike in April, leaving it for junior Ministers to deal with the situation.
Sir Keir who is the former director of public prosecutions, told reporters in Walthamstow, east London, “I quite understand, whether it’s barristers or others, why people and how people are struggling to make ends meet.
He added, “I want to see the government step in and actually help resolve these issues; instead of that we’ve got a government doing absolutely nothing.”
Asked whether Labour MPs would be allowed to join picket lines, he told the PA news agency, “My focus of attack is on the government for not doing anything to resolve these issues.”
Richard Burgon, the Labour MP for East Leeds, wrote on Twitter, “As shadow justice secretary, I saw how government cuts to legal aid have undermined our justice system – with many barristers’ hourly earnings being below the minimum wage.
“This can’t go on. Solidarity with the barristers!”
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