Mission Statement

Safeguarding the interests and welfare of veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and others working in the UK veterinary profession.

Aims

The exclusive aim of the BVU is to look after the interests and welfare of veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other staff working in veterinary profession in the UK, addressing all issues that may directly or indirectly affect their individual or collective interests and welfare as personnel or as professionals.

Objectives

The union has the following well-defined objectives:

• To safeguard the interests and welfare of Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Nurses as personnel & professionals.
• To safeguard the interests and welfare of allied staff as personnel.
• To safeguard the interests and welfare of Veterinary Students and Veterinary Nurse Students.

Activities

In order to fulfil the above objectives, the union will undertake following activities:

Welfare of vets and nurses as personnel:

The BVU will campaign for better terms of employment and working conditions for veterinary professionals. Specific areas which the BVU will try to focus on areas listed below:

Improving terms of employment

• Create awareness about relevant employment laws, flag up deviations by employers and guide and help vets to adhere to employment laws.
• Job contracts meeting all legal requirements will be actively promoted as a necessity.
•  Develop and maintain independent guidelines for a reasonable starting salary for new graduates. Independent salary surveys will be conducted to enable vets and nurses to claim reasonable salaries and increments.
•  Awareness of, and full compliance to, working time regulations will be promoted.
•  Campaign for clocking of time for vets and nurses, so that a proper count of hours worked would be recorded and extra hours worked would be compensated for.
•  Educate employees and employers on the provision of breaks and rest periods at work, and holidays.
• Veterinary practices will be encouraged to create dedicated out-of-hours (OOH) services, or use existing OOH services to reduce pressure on veterinary professionals
•  Lobby for improved CPD support by employers.
•  Guidelines and information will be made available to vets and regarding matters of employment.
•  Campaign for flexibility of working hours for vets and nurses with family commitments.

Improving working conditions

•  Create awareness about the need for a healthy, safe and dignified working environment for veterinary and other staff, and develop models and protocols for safe working environments and conditions.
• Ensure that existing laws were adhered to, and will lobby for any further changes to improve working conditions for vets and nurses.
• Motivate employers to improve the facilities for the staff.
• Campaign against abuse in veterinary practices and will fully support those at the receiving end of any malpractices.

Welfare of vets and nurses as professionals:

• Provide independent guidelines and information to new graduates to help them successfully settle in the profession.
• Provide the necessary information to help vets and nurses prevent litigation against them.
• Flag up, and lobby against, any professional malpractices in independent veterinary practices, corporate groups and charitable veterinary establishments.
• Lobby against any regulations, from any source, that might hinder vets from rendering their services in full compliance with the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct, other relevant laws of the land and in accordance with professional and moral ethics.
• Work towards safeguarding the privilege of clinical freedom for vets, and work on similar lines for veterinary nurses.
• Work to ensure any future Veterinary Surgeons Act meets the requirements of all veterinary surgeons and nurses.
• Lobby for an improved and just RCVS disciplinary system for vets and nurses.

Supportive welfare arrangements

• Create arrangements, like ‘Veterinary Clubs’, and develop programmes to enhance the well-being and social interaction of vets, nurses and allied staff.
•  Provide advice, help and representation (right up to employment tribunals) to its members in the cases of disputes with employers.
• Provide support and representation to vets and nurses going through disciplinary procedures at the RCVS.
• Support all organisations, like the VBF, that work to help vets in difficulty.

Supporting Allied Staff

• Highlight and address the issues faced by the non-veterinary members of staff working the profession and provide support and representation to individuals facing problems at their workplace.

Supporting Students

• Highlight and address the issues collectively faced by the veterinary students and veterinary nursing students.
• Provide the support and representation at individual level as necessary.