24 Jul 2023
Bosses say their plans – which could see hundreds of support staff roles axed – are necessary, but Unite leaders have accused them of caring more about their bottom line than animal or staff welfare.
Allister Webb
Job TitleA leading veterinary care provider has been accused of using “dangerous and outdated” staffing models to justify plans that could see hundreds of jobs axed.
Union leaders have renewed their attack on IVC Evidensia, claiming it is more concerned about its financial bottom line than the welfare of either animals or people.
The company has denied the claims, insisting that its current processes are not linked to its attempts to raise new investment capital.
But senior officials of the Unite union, and its British Veterinary Union (BVU) branch, claim the plans will put animal welfare at risk and make existing workload pressures on remaining staff even greater.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “These redundancies have nothing to do with improving animal care and everything to do with increasing IVC’s already substantial bottom line at the expense of workers and the animals they care for.”
The union has already criticised IVC for what it claims is a lack of meaningful consultation with affected staff.
But its latest comments follow concerns from one industry group that trends in other areas may now be having a knock-on effect.
VMG president Miles Russell said: “As the surge in acquisitions has slowed, we’re now seeing consolidation within the corporate sector and a stronger focus on cost control to maximise returns from investments.”
He said the organisation recognised layoffs were sometimes necessary, but warned that companies proposing redundancies also risked inflicting “long-term damage” to staff morale, which could outweigh any potential gains.
At the time that its redundancy proposals were announced last month, IVC claimed that an “imbalance” had developed between clinical and support roles.
In response to the latest comments, an IVC spokesperson said the company “fundamentally” disagreed with the union’s claims.
She added: “We worked closely, practice by practice, using many data points, to identify where there was an imbalance between clinical and support roles, taking into account the animal and client mix, workload pressures and other nuances of each location, while ensuring each has the right resource to deliver the care and service our customers and patients expect.
“This consultation was not connected to any activity around investments.”
But BVU branch chairperson Suzanna Hudson-Cooke said the measures would create “unsustainable” workloads for the staff left behind.
She continued: “The veterinary sector is already critically understaffed. Many vets and veterinary nurses are left with little choice but to work significant unpaid overtime every week, solely to provide the care their patients require.
“They rely on excellent support staff to undertake all those essential tasks needed to run a clinic, so that their time can be focused on providing clinical care.
“How can IVC expect a veterinary nurse to answer the phones and organise appointments while monitoring a general anaesthetic, taking a radiograph or handling a distressed animal, with no increased risk to the animals?”
