Barristers going on strike for low labor, possible? Not in Hong Kong, in the UK, this strike wave is going on.
Criminal law lawyers in England and Wales have launched a four-week strike at the end of June this year, because they are dissatisfied with the British government’s long-term cuts to the legal aid budget. The British Criminal Law Bar Association (CBA), which initiated the strike, pointed out that the income of criminal barristers has dropped by 30% in the past two decades, and the average annual net income of the first three years of practice is regarding 120,000 yuan, which is regarding 100,000 yuan per month. The salary level of 10,000 yuan is lower than that of some basic service workers in Hong Kong, such as dishwashing workers or taxi drivers. It is a bit unbelievable that the monthly salary of a barrister is so low, but it is a fact. Not an illusion!
After four weeks, the barristers’ strike in the UK has not stopped. A new wave of strike action will start on September 5, and this wave is an indefinite strike arrangement. The strike decision is The escalation action supported by nearly 80% of CBA members, and the strike day is the day when Prime Minister Johnson’s successor is announced.
It is unheard of for people in Hong Kong to go on strike because of low labor. Everyone’s general impression of Dazhuang is that of a high-paid family. Whether it is a star-level Dazhuang, or even a barrister specializing in government legal aid cases, the income is not high. It will be worse than a taxi driver. The current social situation in the UK is really strange, strange, strange!
Does the strike also reflect the deep-seated social problems in the UK? Let’s take a look at the current situation in the UK today. In addition to major strikes, some service industries that are related to people’s livelihood are also facing strikes in which workers are dissatisfied with their wages. Railway workers, container terminal workers, and public and private sectors in postal, telecommunications and other industries are also facing strikes. Workers went on strike one following another at the end of August, and there are media reports that millions of workers in public services are also planning to strike in the fall due to their dissatisfaction that their salaries cannot keep up with inflation. This internal situation is definitely a catalyst for social instability. Without food and clothing, the government must be held accountable. How will the new prime minister and the new governance team resolve this crisis? Can you solve this mystery crisis?
Living in Hong Kong, today we are witnessing the wave following wave of labor unrest in the UK, do we still think that the UK is a country of emigration? Are we worried regarding our friends and relatives who have moved to the local area? The global recession is looming, and the UK is on a trajectory of decline. Whether it will become a strike capital due to wave following wave of labor unrest, we cannot have a conclusion, but today our life in Hong Kong can be regarded as passable, for which we must be grateful .
Huang Lijun
