Strikes at food safety watchdog could cause Christmas meat shortages, union warns
20th October 2022
Unison has urged the Food Standards Agency to come up with a significantly higher pay offer to avoid disruption.
Staff at the FSA are being balloted for strike action which could affect meat supplies over the Christmas period, Unison has warned.
The pay dispute involves several hundred inspectors, vets and office-based staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and could “bring the industry to a halt”, the union said.
Earlier this year, FSA staff reportedly voted to reject a pay offer of between 2 and 5%.
Unison argues that this is significantly lower than inflation and falls short of the 10% increase it put forward.
The ballot closes on 31st of October, meaning strikes could coincide with the run up to and over Christmas, Unison added. It will be the first FSA walkout over pay since 2014.
Unison’s head of local government Mike Short commented: “FSA staff play a vital role in keeping contaminated meat off people’s plates. But many have to work in a difficult and unpleasant conditions inspecting carcasses for signs of disease.
“These employees protect consumers, ensure good animal welfare, and must be rewarded accordingly. The FSA needs to come up with a significantly higher offer to avoid any disruption.”
In a statement responding to the ballot, FSA head of field operations Robert Locker, said: “We are aware that Unison is currently balloting its members and the ballot closes on 31st October. We await the ballot result and notification from Unison of its next steps. Should Unison decide to take industrial action, our contingency plans will help minimise any disruption to meat supplies.”
