Staff at Victoria's only dedicated veterinary teaching hospital have lodged concerns with the Fair Work Commission over a proposal to close the hospital.
U-Vet Animal Hospital at Werribee, operated by the University of Melbourne, was originally flagged for potential closure on December 19, but staff say that date has been brought forward to tomorrow, Monday December 12.
A meeting between the university and the U-Vet staff is scheduled for Monday, which the university says is to communicate the "final outcome" of a consultation process that began on November 8.
Dozens of staff members will be affected if the hospital is closed, and both pet owners and those training as vets and vet nurses have expressed their concerns about the facility shutting down.
The animal hospital is the state's only dedicated teaching hospital, and under the change, students would instead gain practical experience in commercial settings.
A group of veterinary nurses lodged an emergency dispute with the Fair Work Commission over the hospital's closure, citing issues such as a lack of consultation.
Vet nurse Merissa Govers said staff felt they had been left in the dark.
"For the past four weeks we've had no idea about our future or what the plans are for the hospital," she said.
Ms Govers said students scheduled to begin training at the facility were also facing uncertainty.
"There is not really a plan yet, students start in January next year and there's no plan in where they're going to go," she said.
"We've got students from overseas who have taken out leases in Werribee because they thought they were going to be at the hospital."
University says it has 'genuinely engaged' with staff
A University of Melbourne spokesperson defended its consultation process.
"The university has genuinely engaged in consultation with our staff on the planned closure of U-Vet while satisfying the obligations under our enterprise agreement," they said.
"The university has received feedback from staff during the consultation period and this has informed the final change plan which is due to be communicated to our staff tomorrow."
The university previously told the ABC the changes would not impact students, and that all classes and courses would continue.
In an email to staff on November 8, the university said a recent review had highlighted challenges in operating the hospital such as staff shortages, a reduced case load and a "significant fall in revenue" linked to rising costs.
A specialist equine treatment centre at the Werribee campus is due to continue operating.
The university also said in the email that it was exploring the option of a third party commercial vet business taking over the hospital facility down the track.
