Angry meat inspectors threatened to pull beef and sausages off the shelves this summer as union members of the Food Standards Agency voted to go on strike yesterday.
Meat hygiene inspectors, vets and support staff at the FSA voted in favour of strike action over a long running dispute over pay.
Unison the union said that 63% of its members voted in favour of the strike although a spokeswoman said it hasn’t fixed a date for when workers may walk out.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of Unison said: “The strike may well clear supermarket shelves and butchers’ shops of meat and threaten summer barbeques. It is down to the FSA to come up with a fair offer instead of digging in their heels and refusing to negotiate.”
The move threatens the operations of 36 approved abattoirs in Scotland. Staff of the government agency prevent meat infected with faeces or parasites from entering the food chain.
A north-east butcher who didn’t want to be identified was shocked by the move.
“You need abattoirs. If there is no abattoir there is no meat.
“The government must put a stop to that.”
But a spokeswoman for the FSA insisted it had contingency plans in place in the case of a walk out.
“Should Unison decide to take strike action, our contingency plans will minimise any disruption to meat supplies,” she said
“The FSA values the important role played by its frontline staff, and our work to ensure public safety in relation to food will continue.”
The supermarkets decline to comment, but a spokesman for the Scottish Retail Consortium said strike action was unlikely to affect meat supplies.
He said: “We have been in discussions with the FSA and they have assured us that they have contingency plans in place should there be a strike. It shouldn’t prevent any obstruction with our supply chain.”
The workers are striking because the FSA has imposed a pay increase of just 0.75%, the union said.
Mr Prentis added: “Working in slaughterhouses is an extremely messy and stressful job and our members will not accept another cut in the value of their wages.
“Imposing a pay offer is inflammatory and the result of our strike ballot makes it clear that FSA staff have had enough.”
The union is demanding that the FSA pay more as staff have already lost 15% of their remuneration, it claimed.