The organisation representing Ireland's barristers has again called on the Government to reduce pay cuts to barristers implemented in the aftermath of the financial crash.
The Council of the Bar of Ireland has made its call for pay restoration ahead of the upcoming budget.
It said the Government should restore the full range of cuts made to the pay of criminal barristers working for the State and should also restore the link with national wage agreements.
The Bar of Ireland represents 2,000 practising barristers. It said they are the only group of workers in the criminal justice sector who have not had the pay cuts reversed.
Barristers have withdrawn their services four times in the last 12 months in protest at the failure to restore their pay.
They said they want an independent, binding mechanism to determine the fees paid to criminal barristers by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
They said the Government committed to a review process but after correspondence with Government representatives they say, "the situation remains at an impasse".
Chair of the Bar Council, Senior Counsel Seán Guerin, said barristers had implemented reforms but had been treated differently to others in the criminal justice system.
He said they were seeking fairness for their members and investment in the criminal justice system.
Mr Guerin said a lack of experienced and available barristers to defend or prosecute cases led to inequality and injustice.
He said public trust in the criminal justice system should not be taken for granted and should be protected.
