STRIKE action is hitting courts in York and North Yorkshire with the majority of courthouses in the county and city closed today..

Security staff are refusing to work in a protest about their pay. Without sufficient security staff, court buildings cannot open to the public.

The PCS has called out its members employed by OCS at crown courts, magistrates courts, family courts and county courts across the country for today, Wednesday and Friday this week.

The courts in the city and county closed today because of a lack of security staff are: York County Court and York Family Court, both in the same building in Piccadilly, Harrogate Justice Centre and Scarborough Justice Centres, both of which house magistrates, family and youth court sittings, and Skipton Magistrates Court and Skipton County Court. All were closed on Friday, the first of four days of strike action, and are expected to be closed on Wednesday and Friday this week.

York Crown Court and York Magistrates Court are not affected and remain open. York no longer has a youth court sitting in the city and cases involving youths from York are now generally heard at Harrogate Justice Centre.

The union says its members voted for industrial action after being offered a pay rise of 38p above the national minimum wage and that 149 courts across the country have been affected.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “It is completely unacceptable that the vast majority of our members working for OCS are experiencing serious financial hardship.

“This strike action will be a powerful reminder of how fundamental their work is to keeping courts open and safe for the public across England and Wales.”

Before the action began, a spokesperson for HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), which runs the courts on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, told the Law Gazette: “We are working closely with our security provider OCS to minimise disruption and ensure the safety of all court users during industrial action between them and PSC union members.

“While a number of our sites are closed, the majority of cases will be heard remotely or in nearby courts and people should continue to attend hearings as planned unless they are otherwise instructed by the court.”

HMCTS has also said it will contact people whose hearings are affected by the strikes with details of alternative arrangements.

The strike only affects security staff employed by OCS, which is contracted by the Ministry of Justice to supply security services at some courts. Court security staff employed directly by the Ministry of Justice or HMCTS are not involved in the industrial action.