Prosecutors’ union accuses Scottish government of undervaluing work

The Procurators Fiscal Society of the FDA union said that Scottish ministers value their work less than that of government lawyers.

It said that a “significant number” of prosecutors had gone to work for the government in recent months, where they can earn up to £10,000 more.

It said in a written submission to Holyrood’s Justice Committee, the union said: “FDA wishes to make it clear to ministers that we consider the failure to remunerate staff within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on a comparative basis with lawyers in other parts of Scottish Government demonstrates that they do not properly value the work undertaken by Scotland’s prosecutors.

“There is value in the work undertaken by colleagues across the Scottish government but how can it be right those who deal with vulnerable witnesses, victims of child sexual abuse and the prosecution in the public interest of some of the most serious and violent offenders in Scotland are valued and rewarded less than their Scottish Government counterparts?”

It was announced in August that Scotland’s prosecutors and courts are to get extra funding of £1.1 million to respond to the growth in sexual offence reports and reduce the time such cases take to progress through the justice system.