Dozens of witness liaison officers are set to go on strike after a unanimous vote for industrial action.
GMB Union members are demanding the same pay as their counterparts at West Yorkshire Police - who are often paid £5,000 a year more for the same job.
Witness Liaison Officers provide support and assistance to victims and witnesses throughout the criminal justice process, often speaking with and supporting highly vulnerable individuals including rape, domestic and child abuse victims. Without them key evidence sessions in court are unlikely to go ahead.
Strikes will take place will be decided in the coming days - and GMB warns of disruption to the criminal justice system as witness liaison officers walk out across South Yorkshire.
Joe Wheatley, GMB Regional Organiser, said:
"These officers play an essential role in keeping the cogs of justice turning, supporting survivors of extreme violence and other crime.
"How can it be right that people who deliver a vital and difficult service are being paid £5,000 less than those in identical roles only forty five miles up the M1?
"The last thing these staff want to do is strike but the Chief Constables obstinate attitude to pay negotiations has brought us here.
"GMB calls on her to think again before our courts are hit with delays in delivering justice for the residents of South Yorkshire."
