Barristers in England and Wales have voted to begin striking indefinitely from next month, threatening widespread disruption to the country's legal system. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have said almost 80 percent of voting members had backed the escalating action after ongoing disputes over government funding.

Following strike action in July, barristers across the UK have already been taking intermittent action for weeks by refusing to take on new cases.

But from September 5, the day Boris Johnson's successor as prime minister is due to be announced, barristers will move to an uninterrupted indefinite walkout. Previously scheduled strike action means the last working day for many will be Aug 26, the union said.

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"It is a decision to which we have been driven after years and years of abject neglect of the Criminal Justice System and the cynical exploitation of our time, effort and goodwill by successive governments determined to deliver justice on the cheap," the CBA's leadership said in a letter to members when the strike ballot opened.

The government responded to the escalation, describing it as "wholly unjustified."

"This is an irresponsible decision that will only see more victims face further delays and distress," Justice Minister Sarah Dines said in a statement.

Lawyers who act in criminal court cases say real earnings have collapsed, dropping 28 percent since 2006, with junior barristers earning a median income of only £12,200 ($14,412) in their first three years, forcing many to give up their career.

The CBA wants a 25 percent rise in fees for legal aid work, where government funding helps meet the costs of representation for those who cannot afford it. The government has offered barristers a 15 percent pay rise, but the CBA has said the proposal would not come in until the end of 2023 at the earliest.

But British courts already have a backlog of some 58,000 cases, that is partly due to lockdown restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike is the latest in a wave of labor disputes in Britain, with workers in the UK's largest container port of Felixstowe beginning their second day of striking.

It comes after another yet another week of projected train strikes are set to begin, with airline workers also staging walkouts as pay rises fail to keep up with soaring inflation that is projected to exceed 13 percent this year.