Court hearings could be cancelled over Christmas due to union action involving 16,000 workers.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union working for the court service today began ‘working to rule’ over a pay dispute.
Clerks, ushers and security staff are refusing to work outside their standard hours in protest of a below-inflation 2% pay rise offer.
This is expected to hit magistrate court sittings over the busy Christmas period.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “It is completely unacceptable, with inflation running at 3.9%, that some of the lowest paid in the civil service are facing a real terms pay cut.
“The disruption caused by this action could have been avoided by the DCA rewarding the staff who keep the justice system running with a fair and decent pay offer.”
The union threatened a strike across the civil service in the New Year if pay offers are not increased.
