Barristers in England and Wales have voted to strike over the government's refusal to back-date an increase in their fees.
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) announced on Monday that its members would walk out "on an indefinite basis" from September 5, following a ballot in favor of strike action.
That date coincides with the scheduled announcement of the new leader of the Conservative Party, who will take over as prime minister from Boris Johnson.
CBA vice-chair Kirsty Brimelow QC said it was striking only as a "last resort" and accused the government of refuse to engage in "finding a fair settlement".
"The remedy is for an injection of money into the backlog of cases, which currently stands at 60,000 cases, that barristers are working on that will cost the government only £1.1m per month," Brimelow told the BBC. "Currently, it's costing much more for the courts to sit empty."
The association said its members' incomes had fallen by an average of 28 percent since 2006 after inflation was factored in, and were angry that the government's offer of a 15 percent increase would not be applied straight away and would not be backdated to cover cases currently in progress. It is demanding a back-dated 25 percent increase.
Criminal barrister Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe told Sky News the CBA's claim was "reasonable, justified, proportionate and necessary."
"If you are going around the country, as people from my chambers do, and people from many other chambers will do, you have to bear those costs upfront, you have to do all the preparatory work that simply isn't covered by the fees you ultimately get at the end of proceedings," Devans-Tamakloe said. "The government needs to understand the hardships criminal barristers like myself are facing."
The Barristers' action is just the latest in a wave of strikes as prices soar — largely thanks to the government's embargo on Russian energy imports.