Fórsa has lifted the prospect of industrial action in local authorities after council employers rowed back on a proposal to transfer local authority vets to the Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI) at the end of this month.

In a letter to the union last week, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which represents council employers, said local authorities would continue to run the service in 2021.

Fórsa’s Local Government divisional executive subsequently agreed to suspend plans for a ballot on industrial action.

Discussions between councils and the FSAI will continue to explore the future of the service beyond next year.

Fórsa’s head of local government, Peter Nolan, told the vets that the outcome was a great improvement. “It will however be necessary to remain vigilant at all times to ensure that any new arrangements agreed between the LGMA and the FSAI do not erode your conditions of employment,” he said.

The vets inspect some 600 small abattoirs, including craft butchers and artisan food producers, under a service-level agreement. But they have fallen victim to a row between the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and FSAI over the funding of the inspections.

Last spring, Fόrsa learned that the CCMA had told the FSAI to take over the employment of the vets. The union immediately sought the withdrawal of the proposal, and said any dispute over the move would involve all local authority staff.