Sixteen solicitors working on the Solicitor Contact Line voted for industrial action following complaints that management had imposed 12-hour shifts and single-staffing arrangements. GMB Scotland, the union representing the solicitors, argues that the move increases pressure on staff and jeopardises legal protections for individuals in police custody.

John McCartney, GMB Scotland organiser, said: “Our members are qualified solicitors working around the clock to ensure anyone arrested gets the legal representation they are entitled to. Their work is an essential protection for the legal rights of every Scot and the foundation of our criminal justice system.”

He added: “It is unreasonable to expect a single solicitor to sustain national coverage over a 12-hour shift. These are dangerous changes introduced for no good reason and must be reviewed then reversed.”

GMB has called on Justice Secretary Angela Constance to intervene and end the dispute. The Solicitor Contact Line, which operates 24 hours a day, offers legal advice to people in custody and organises representation, often requiring staff solicitors to attend police stations if private firms are unavailable. The union said that halving the number of solicitors on duty has undermined the service’s effectiveness.

Mr McCartney added: “There is no operational justification for these changes and there is no evidence of cost savings. Managers took this decision despite concerns and imposed it with no consideration of the impact it will have on staff and, more widely, fair access to justice in Scotland’s legal system.

“The clear determination of staff to reverse this decision is no surprise and demands urgent action.”

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr MSP said: “This threat of strike action lays bare just how far those working in the legal aid profession have been stretched.

“Successive SNP justice secretaries have repeatedly ignored the concerns from experts, professionals and victims that urgent investment is needed if victims are to have access to support. Victims who are already facing major court delays will pay a heavy price if the SNP do not urgently intervene.the system surrounding legal aid is clearly in turmoil, and it falls on the SNP government to sort it out immediately.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Legal Aid Board said: “We have not been formally notified by the GMB Union that they intend to ballot their members employed on the Solicitor Contact Line in relation to potential strike action. We will be contacting the GMB officials to seek clarification.”

Victims minister Siobhian Brown added: “Summary case management has so far provided benefits for victims and solicitors and I hope we can work constructively with the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association to ensure their continued support as this is rolled out nationally.

“We value the role of legal aid providers and I recognise improvement is needed to legal aid. That is why I have announced action to make the system simpler and easier for both solicitors and those who need legal assistance along with longer-term proposals for funding and improving the delivery of services.”