WARRINGTON Magistrates’ Court is set to be affected by staff launching a strike in a dispute over a controversial case management system.

Sixty-eight courts across England and Wales are due to be impacted by the walkout by Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) members.

The union says its members working as legal advisers and court associates will stage a nine-day strike starting on Saturday.

The workers, who postponed last month's planned strike after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, are locked in a row over the use of the so-called Common Platform system.

Their employer, His Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), has said the scheme is key to modernising the court system.

But the PCS says ‘teething problems’ that staff were warned of when the scheme was introduced two years ago, have persisted, forcing them to work longer hours and negatively impacting the justice system.

The union previously said 180 of its members were involved in the row, which will see industrial action take place from October 22 to 30.

Initially, 55 courts were to be affected, but after strike action was postponed following the Queen's death, staff in 13 more courts voted to take part too.

Some will see picket lines held outside from 8.30am on Monday, although it is not believed that one will be staged in Warrington.

The union's general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “Our members in courts feel a huge amount of resentment and resolve because their voices are being ignored by managers.

“We have asked managers to stop the roll-out of the scheme and they have not. They have not even paused for negotiations to take place.

“They talk a lot about feedback, but they are not listening. They are just ploughing on, regardless of the consequences.

“This is not a new scheme. When it was introduced two years ago, we were told there would be teething problems, and that once it has embedded it will get better.

“It has not. Our members are working longer hours, it adversely impacts on their family lives, and importantly, on their ability to deliver justice.”

When the union’s ballot result first came in, a HMCTS spokesman said: “This is a disappointing outcome, as we have been working with staff and unions on the rollout of the Common Platform since September 2020, and it has already dealt with more than 158,000 criminal cases.”

The service has been contacted for further comment.