Strikes, a ban on overtime and a work-to-rule are likely to follow a ballot of Ministry of Justice staff who are members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

Industrial action by PCS members, who work across most areas of MoJ activity, could result in one-day strikes, beginning at the end of June. Saturday hearings in magistrates’ courts would be halted by a ban on overtime.

Together with a work-to-rule, this would prevent the resulting backlog of cases from being cleared.

Union officials are very confident the ballot will result in a resounding ‘yes’ vote among the PCS’s MoJ Group.

The union is concerned the MoJ and Cabinet Office may renege on commitments to achieve 15,000 job cuts through voluntary redundancy and ‘natural wastage’, though the immediate trigger for the protest is proposed changes to public sector pensions.

Industrial action by PCS members would involve staff at the MoJ’s headquarters on Queen Anne’s Gate, many court service and tribunals staff, administrative staff in the prison service, and staff working for the Youth Justice Board and the Parole Board.

The First Division Association (FDA), which includes many government lawyers among its members, is not considering industrial action, though it has sought to challenge in the courts pension reforms affecting its members.

Job cuts have been ‘top-down’ at the MoJ, meaning FDA’s members were among the first to experience cuts.

The PCS is keen to stress any action by members will be in the public interest, since it is opposing cuts that, it claims, will severely compromise access to justice.

Norina O’Hare, national officer with responsibility for justice and prosecution, told the Gazette: ‘With court closures, we have already seen decisions that impact on access to justice and move to a more centralised handling of justice.’

The government has struggled to find savings in the criminal justice system because the latter is ‘demand-led’, but had identified solutions that would alarm the public, she added.

‘For example, administrative chan-ges to charging policy mean prosecutors often need more than one witness to bring a case.’

PCS leaders will decide what action to take after confirmation of a valid ‘yes’ vote in the ballot.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude described PCS’s decision to ballot members as ‘disappointing’, but added: ‘I can assure the public all services have highly developed and tested contingency plans to ensure their essential services are maintained.’