Strike action to affect sheriff courts and prisons today

Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen sheriff courts are expected to be most affected as the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) organised a walk-out for today – which is the busiest day of the week for courts.

The action has been chosen for today to coincide with people taken in over the weekend and will affect the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service(COPFS) as well as prisons and various other justice organisations.

Insiders have said it is likely some cases will have to be adjourned as paperwork will not be timeously processed and prisoners will not be transferred.

Workers have taken the action in the wake of court closures over the past year initiated by former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill and continued by his successor Michael Matheson.

It was hoped the closures would increase efficiency and save money but Lynn Henderson, PCS Scottish secretary, said workers were under huge strain.

She said: “Ours members are dedicated to delivering fair justice and high quality services to the people of Scotland, at times under very difficult circumstances for very little reward.

“The new justice secretary should use any whatever influence he has to feed back into cabinet discussions on the budget that civil and public servants can no longer put up with job cuts and re-organisations and carry the impact of austerity cuts in their pockets with pay freezes and pay restraint.”

This week courts in the Highlands, Dingwall, Haddington, and Peebles and Duns are scheduled to close.

The PCS said the strike action would cause problems at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Hamilton and Greenock sheriff courts.

It will also affect the work of the Supreme Courts in Edinburgh.

Glasgow Sheriff Court is due to hear 173 criminal cases today. However, the High Court at Glasgow is not being targeted.

In addition, the strike has been called at COPFS offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as the fiscals’ office at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Glenochill, Barlinnie, Shotts, and Low Moss prisons, Polmont Young Offenders Institution and, finally, the Risk Management Authority.

A union source said: “We expect the strike to be solid.”

The Scottish Courts Service said it will provide updates on its Twitteraccount.