Cases halted as Criminal Courts of Justice staff picket

The Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin found themselves at a standstill as staff members staged a picket, disrupting planned legal proceedings. Court workers and administrative personnel gathered outside the main entrance, demanding a new public pay agreement following the expiration of the previous national deal earlier this year.

With workers steadfastly standing on the steps, the doors to the nation's main criminal court complex—housing the Circuit Court, District Court, and Central Criminal Court—remained effectively closed. Court sittings across Ireland were cancelled, with only emergency domestic violence, childcare applications, and certain Garda applications to remand accused persons in custody, as well as High Court injunctions to protect life, health, safety, or welfare, proceeding.

An official "Notice of Adjournment of Court" sign was pinned onto the CCJ's glass doors, notifying defendants and the public that the court clerk had formally adjourned all sittings by District Court judge order. The document listed bulk adjournments pushing cases back to November and December, along with instructions that the court would once again list new station bail cases originally scheduled for that day on Thursday.

This scene on Parkgate Street mirrored a nationwide action, with 300,000 public sector workers across various sectors withdrawing their labor. Across the country, schools remained closed, non-urgent healthcare services were cancelled, and administrative operations in government departments and local authorities ceased entirely.