Negotiations put strike action by Law Society staff on hold

Accountants and monitoring unit staff from the Law Society have called off further industrial action pending negotiations with management this Thursday and Friday.

Last Monday, 28 of the 43 MSF union members in the investigation accountants and monitoring unit went on a one-day strike over pay. It was the first strike in the Law Society's history. They had planned to continue disruption by working to rule if the Law Society still refused to discuss their grievance - that professionals in the private sector get about £6,000 more for similar work.

But the society has now agreed to discuss the issue, and a negotiating team of four staff and one union representative will spend two days this week talking to the management's negotiating team.

One investigation accountant said: "We want to give management a bit of space. This is a totally new experience, not just for us but for them as well.

"The investigation accountants had a pre-scheduled meeting last Friday with the sec- retary general when we said: 'Surely talking is the way forward?'. It was as if a veil had been lifted."

A Law Society spokesman said: "We want them to clarify their demands. We are committed to finding a solution."