Against the background of the Competition and Markets Authority review into veterinary services, veterinary staff in Valley Vets, Wales are striking for fair pay and improved conditions. Valley Vets staff are members of the British Veterinary Union, a branch of Unite, established in 2010, and the practices are owned by VetPartners, a corporate entity with a portfolio of 650 practices in the UK and more in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Ireland. In addition to first opinion practices, VetPartners owns referral practices, a small animal veterinary nursing school, an equine nursing school, laboratories, a research dairy, a locum agency and pet crematoria.
UK law changed in 1999, allowing non-vets to own practices which resulted in 35% of all practice sites being owned by corporate concerns within a decade of the amendment of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. It is estimated that 60% – 70% of UK veterinary sites will be in such ownership by 2027.
All vets are commercial entities. They need to make profit in order to function. However, the increasing acquisition of practices at all levels by corporate entities reduces choice, not only for clients but for staff who no longer have discretion over charging and who themselves struggle on comparatively low wages. Independent vets are being driven out of practice because they are restricted by legislation in their ability to purchase supplies whilst corporations are not, and they simply cannot apply economies of scale
Independent vets could choose, for instance, to levy a high mark up on food and toys in order to discount the true cost of neutering or dental care. Staff in Valley Vets cite an example where they were obliged to bill clients £10 for a fluorescein eye stain strip that cost the practice just £1.
Veterinary staff wages are usually much lower than their clients imagine, especially when terms and conditions are taken into account. Lowest paid staff may be on minimum wage which is why 93% of the Valley Vets employees participated in the strike ballot and 94% voted in favour of striking.
Unionisation and strikes in veterinary practice are not yet common, but they may not only result in improved conditions for staff but for clients and their animals too.
The “them and us” is not vet versus client but corporate greed versus fairness and decency.