- Conference
- 2015 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 18 February 2015
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its contractors, work in some of the worst conditions in Europe. They face increasing bullying, harassment and attacks in the workplace, as well as the erosion of their pay and benefits.
Conference also notes that the deregulators and industry lobbyists working in the European Union (EU) are trying to undermine our members’ terms and conditions further as their roles are defined as official controls under the European regulatory framework.
Conference calls upon the Service Group Executive to defend our members’ terms conditions, negotiated with the FSA and as a regulatory function within the EU by:-
1)Opposing privatisation and deregulation;
2)Increasing our campaigning presence in the EU to maintain and improve the terms and conditions of workers employed by the FSA as meat inspectors and official veterinarians;
3)Opposing performance related pay;
4)Campaigning to end bullying and harassment in the workplace;
5)Supporting an enhanced animal welfare role for our members in being the independent voice to end animal welfare abuses in slaughterhouses as well as safeguarding their role;
6)Working closer with UNISON members in trading standards and environmental health on quality, health and animal welfare and to maintain their role as a local government service;
7)Educating the public and policy makers on the “journey of meat”;
8)Developing a “Meat Charter” showing the role of our members across the service group and asking local authorities and slaughterhouses to sign-up.