Speaking to Martin McLaughlin as part of The Scotsman’s ‘Justice Denied’ series of articles, Sampson said that while the additional resources that have been allocated in recent years were “much-needed”, staff in COPFS were still overstretched.
“Procurator fiscals are committed professionals who work hard every day to deliver justice for the people of Scotland, but they are working under extreme pressure,” he explained. “Our members are handling more serious and complex cases than ever before with inadequate resources. The backlog from the pandemic remains significant, and new legislative responsibilities continue to add to workloads. Without sustained further investment, we risk undermining public confidence in Scotland’s justice system and placing intolerable strain on an already overstretched workforce.”
The FDA submitted evidence to the Justice Committee on the 2025-26 budget which outlined increases in workload for members in COPFS and wellbeing issues related to this.
The evidence outlines the FDA’s position “has always been that it is not the business of a trade union to dictate the details of any government’s budget, but the resources available must match the commitment of service provision demanded of that organisation”.
As such, it follows that either “COPFS requires to be adequately resourced” or political decisions must be taken “to review the priorities and outcomes required from the Service”.
The FDA’s Wendy Jones Equality Award and the Impact Award are presented each year at the union’s Annual Delegate Conference. Tommy Newell and Tom Nathan share details of this year’s winners and their work.
The FDA’s Procurator Fiscal Society has joined with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish TUC and PCS, to sign the Dying to Work Charter.
Secretary of the FDA’s Procurators Fiscal Section Fiona Eadie reflects on the historic pay deal achieved for members in COPFS and the success of the ‘Equal Value, Equal Worth’ campaign.
