Court staff to strike over pay next month

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said bar officers and clerks employed at sheriff courts will stop working on February 1 in protest at low pay.

The union said that workers felt they had been taken for granted by the Scottish government.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our hard-working members are fed up and angry with the way they’re being treated by a government that takes them for granted.

“They are determined to win this dispute and secure a pay rise to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.

“The government can resolve this dispute tomorrow if it puts money on the table.”

Mike Monro, of Aberdeen firm Makie and Dewar, told the Press and Journal that “one would assume” that the strikes will cause major disruption.

He added: “The sheriffs rely on the bar officers to get them in and out of court, while we as solicitors rely on them to make sure witnesses are present, where they are, and so they go to the right place.

“We all work together and so if you take one of the cogs out of the wheel, it’s going to make what is sometimes seen to be the smooth running of the court very, very difficult – particularly, holding a trial will be difficult.”

A spokesman for the Scottish government said: “The Scottish government notes PCS has decided to take industrial action across all civil service employers on a range of issues, a number of which are reserved to the UK Government.

“It is encouraging that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service plans to maintain essential services as far as possible.

“In relation to pay, Scottish ministers have a distinct policy under which negotiations are conducted with the recognised trade unions.

“Constructive talks took place which resulted in significant movement to respond to union representations, including higher increases targeted at the lowest paid.”