DAERA would face a “modest cost” to resolve a long-running pay dispute with a group of veterinary staff, a committee of MLAs has been told.
At Stormont last week, representatives from the NI Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) confirmed that up to 25 staff are involved in the dispute.
Alan Law from NIPSA explained that the issue stems from a historic pay difference between two types of vets within DAERA.
Following a review in 2024, all vets were moved to the same pay grade, but disagreements remained about starting salaries, lost earnings and pension contributions.
The dispute has recently resulted in industrial action by some DAERA vets, with NIPSA stating that bovine TB testing and certification services were impacted.
Law confirmed that a meeting with DAERA about the issue took place earlier this month and another is scheduled for this week.
“We remain hopeful that a proposal will soon be brought forward which will be acceptable to our members and this long-running and highly damaging dispute can finally be brought to a close,” he said.
SHARING OPTIONS