A south Wales veterinary group has announced it will keep several of its practices closed for the rest of this year because of an ongoing industrial relations dispute.

Valley Vets bosses have blamed “uncertainty” about the possibility of further strike action for the decision, ahead of a fresh walkout by staff later this week.

But union leaders have accused them of seeking to “break the strike” and warned the dispute will not end without an “acceptable” new offer.

Walkouts

The latest 24-hour strike by members of the British Veterinary Union (BVU) is due to take place from 8am this Friday (13 September), following several weeks of walkouts during July and August.

During those periods, four branch practices were closed to maintain services at the VetPartners-owned group’s main hospital at Gwaelod y Garth, near Cardiff.

But, in a statement responding to the new strike plan, managers said: “Due to uncertainty over further industrial action, we have made the decision to keep our branches closed until the end of the year to help to minimise the risk of further disruption for our patients and our clients. These decisions are not taken lightly.”

Disappointed

The group said it was “disappointed” by the continuing action and praised both staff providing emergency care as well as the “support” of the wider profession.

But the BVU, which is a branch of the Unite union, claimed it had reduced its negotiating position twice in a bid to re-open talks while the employers refused to engage in further discussions.

Ahead of the new closure announcement, Unite regional officer Paul Seppman said the measures imposed during earlier stoppages were “clearly not in the interests” of patients.

He added: “The surgery closures are part of Valley Vets campaign to break the strike.

“Our members are deeply committed to the animals they help to care for, but they cannot carry on being taken advantage of by a company that’s only motivation is profit.

“This dispute will not end until an acceptable pay offer is put forward.”

Petition

Meanwhile, as the deadlock continues, support has been building for an online petition that is demanding “justice” to end the dispute.

As of earlier today (11 September), almost 50,000 people had backed the campaign on the Care2 Petitions platform, although many of the latest signatories appear to be from outside the UK.