Why did I bother to turn the radio on?

www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/barristers-prepare-to-walk-out-over-legal-aid-fees/5112826.article

Some of them would be pleased to be paid as much as a train driver.

That's my husband too Witzend. Difficult to cope with.

I don’t believe train drivers are taking part in the current strike are they? ASLEF?

Maw - yes the news is dispiriting

Thanks to the posters who recognise what the criminal law Barristers are concerned about. The irony - 12 years of Conservative misrule adding destruction of criminal law to its other successes like the destruction of public servuces

We need these professions, so why don’t they get paid as much as they’re asking? It’s not a drop in the ocean compared to CEOs.

Sorry to mention the B word but Brexit was about taking us back to the 1970s wasn’t it?

It seems Johnson and Co are, actually, quite keen on pay rises for some...?

"Downing Street has asked ministers to ease restrictions on City bosses’ pay in a bid to show overseas companies the “benefits of Brexit”, i can reveal.

Steve Barclay, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak with a plan for “deregulatory measures to reduce the overall burden on business” and attract more firms to the UK.

One key plank of the plan included “removing restrictions on director (and specifically NED [non-executive director]) remuneration as suggested by the London Stock Exchange Group to improve London’s attractiveness for listings”.

But with the cost of living crisis and a squeeze on earnings hitting millions of ordinary workers, the proposal may spark controversy.

It followed intense talks between the PM’s Minister for Policy Andrew Griffith, the No 10 Policy Unit, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Minister for Brexit Opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg.

A copy of the confidential letter from Cabinet Office minister Mr Barclay to the Chancellor has been seen by i. It says: “I trust you’ll agree this is a more proportionate regulatory response and reflective of the new approach to regulation outlined in the ‘Benefits of Brexit’ publication in January.”

inews.co.uk/news/no-10-planning-tear-up-restrictions-city-bosses-pay-cost-of-living-crisis-1696695

My son is a barrister but he practices commercial law and employment law. He has always said how poorly paid criminal barristers are because they are employed by the state. My son is self employed as are the majority of barristers.

I should have said that he’s not going on strike. Apart from the fact that he is well paid there would be little point as he is self employed.

maddyone

I should have said that he’s not going on strike. Apart from the fact that he is well paid there would be little point as he is self employed.

I understood that all barristers are self employed.

Criminal barristers are not 'employed by the state'.

If a barrister's client on a criminal charge doesn't qualify for legal aid the client has to pay the barrister from their own funds. It can cost them £1,000s.

There's a whole other topic here of access to the law being constrained by cost. It's not really a truly equitable system.

My df who takes the worries if the world on her shoulders, accidentally jumped the queue in a shop yesterday. She humbly apologised and he said that's nothing when there's a war going on.
I think she was relieved that there still are people who are prioritising their fears and worries!
The poor are being squeezed in this country and perhaps we should not accept it.
But when somehow there is money to spend on killing machines but no money for starving people, the madness of man continues.
Good luck to anyone trying to enjoy themselves.

Germanshepherdsmum

Not everyone is free to strike.

Carers certainly aren’t..

Yes you are. You choose not to.

volver

Yes you are. You choose not to.

Yes I do choose not to leave very vulnerable people to their own devices…

We agree then.

www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2022/06/care-staff-announce-strikes-over-fire-and-rehire-plans/

Maizie you could be right, but I’m not sure. I’ll clarify with my son when I next see him. However he has certainly said in the past that criminal barristers are very poorly paid. Maybe he meant that the hourly rate that the state pays is very poor. I know when we discussed this he indicated that the state pays poorly and I assumed he meant criminal barristers are employed by the state. I don’t know but I will definitely find out.

Shinamae

volver

Yes you are. You choose not to.

Yes I do choose not to leave very vulnerable people to their own devices…

The problem is Shinamae that historically people who work in care (and the NHS) haven’t taken strike action, which makes the staff vulnerable to being taken financial advantage of by unscrupulous governments. Duty to the individual clients/patients is part of the reason why the crisis in care is as bad as it is today, because it’s very poorly paid for the level of responsibility carers are expected to take, so why would people want to join?

They’re not employed by the State, maddy, they’re self-employed, but many of them do legal aid work and legal aid rates are abysmal. Also legal aid payments don’t reflect the time actually needing to be spent. If you calculated the time actually spent on many legal aid cases, barristers would often be getting around the minimum wage. There’s also the problem of what qualifies someone for legal aid. Access to justice is denied to many who can’t afford to pay.

As far a affording it is concerned a lot of people paid before the energy and petrol went up. In fact some were left over from 2020 even.

Strikes are never the correct way to get what you want, not unless you go on strike like the miners did and dont go back until you get what you want.

Barristers wont be missed their not much use anyway.

What Legal Aid? It doesn't exist anymore. I have three friends and one relative that have not been able to get any aid two for divorces and one for a company dispute. Seems to be the only legal aid you can get now is for serious crimes.

Well let’s hope you don’t end up in court needing a barrister Maggs. You might find one very useful. What a silly and ignorant comment.

its a shame some workers have to strike to try and get pay rises and they can’t be just given the £2200 per year MPs were awarded. I wonder how many MPs who bang on about wage rises fuelling inflation will be refusing their own?

My daughter in law is a QC and if I was in trouble, I would welcome her insight, clear judgement and skill in articulating any case. She is of great use Maggs.