21 Oct 2024
Unite, whose British Veterinary Union branch has been in dispute with the Valley Vets for several months, insists decision will not end a fight for fairness in the sector.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Plans to permanently close all of a south Wales veterinary group’s branch practices have been branded as “desperate” by union leaders.
Officials have admitted the affected Valley Vets sites are unlikely to re-open following closures triggered by an ongoing industrial relations dispute, although they deny any connection between the two issues.
But senior figures from the union Unite, whose British Veterinary Union (BVU) branch has been in dispute with the VetPartners-owned group for several months, insist the decision will not end what they regard as a fight for fairness in the sector.
A statutory consultation process will now follow the 15 October announcement that the group’s practices in Cardiff, Caerphilly, Pentyrch and Ystrad Mynach will shut for good.
The premises were already due to remain closed until the end of this year under plans announced last month, which the group said were intended to address “uncertainty” over the possibility of further strike action by BVU members in a pay and conditions dispute which remains unresolved.
Asked whether the affected sites could re-open temporarily once the present closure periods expired, a spokesperson confirmed there were “no plans” to do so.
A “small number” of support staff roles, which is thought to equate to around five or six full-time posts, have been put at risk of redundancy.
The group said it intends to consolidate services at its main hospital in Gwaelod y Garth, near Cardiff, in a move it maintains has been triggered by an “acute” and long-term shortage of vets, not short-term industrial relations issues.
A spokesperson said: “Since COVID, we faced a big challenge in recruitment of vets for the branch surgeries, with vets preferring to work at the veterinary hospital site.
“This led to us becoming reliant on locums, which is costly for a practice. By closing the branches, we will no longer have to rely on employing locums, which is also better for continuity of patient care.”
But Unite leaders argue the move demonstrates why the sector is currently being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Ahead of the latest announcement, the union had already submitted a paper to the Senedd petitions committee, which is considering calls for a wider inquiry into the influence of corporate ownership on Welsh veterinary services, alleging the problems that triggered the Valley Vets action were the “tip of the iceberg”.
It has also claimed the company was seeking to “crush” dissent among staff at a time when Valley Vets workers are said to be preparing to renew their mandate for further industrial action.
General secretary Sharon Graham said: “These are the desperate actions of a company that knows the tide is turning against its UK-wide exploitation of pet owners and animal health care workers.”
However, in a statement announcing the closure plan which will also see the hospital no longer accepting referral cases, bosses insisted they were trying to ensure the group had a “sustainable future”.
