Boots pharmacists and pre-registration graduates now have the opportunity to vote for a better future, and an independent voice at work.
Boots pharmacists and pre-registration graduates now have the opportunity to vote for a better future, and an independent voice at work. They will soon receive ballot papers at their home address, to allow them to remove the agreement between Boots and the BPA which blocks their ability to negotiate better pay, hours and other working conditions through the PDA Union. Removing the agreement would pave the way for the PDA Union to negotiate better terms and conditions on behalf of Boots pharmacists, and the BPA can continue as it has before.
The PDA Union was formed by pharmacists, for pharmacists. Our focus has always been on protecting and improving professional autonomy, working conditions and employment terms for pharmacists.
Latest articles about our campaign for Boots Recognition
Following a hearing on Friday 28th September, the CAC has today issued its decision on which pharmacists will be eligible to vote in a ballot to decide whether they can negotiate their pay, hours and holiday through the PDA Union. The PDA Union will only be able to negotiate for better employment terms for this group of employees should they win the ballot.
Two sets of talks facilitated by the government’s conciliation service, ACAS between high-street chemist Boots and the independent pharmacists’ trade union PDA Union have ended without agreement. Following a ballot of 7,000 pharmacists in June, in which 87% of voters favoured changes to the trade union arrangements for pharmacists at Boots, the PDA Union are now following a legal process to become the recognised independent voice of pharmacists at the company.
The Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) have formally accepted the application by the PDA Union to be recognised by Boots. This is the latest development in a lengthy process to secure negotiations over pay, hours and working conditions on behalf of pharmacists. The legal process continues.
After promising to give £1 to charity for each Boots pharmacist and pre-registration graduate who voted in the recent derecognition ballot, last week the PDA Union donated £3,308 to Macmillan Cancer support, which was selected by voters as their preferred charity to receive the donation.
Members of the PDA Union are taking the next step in their campaign to improve employee relations at Boots following a series of meetings with the company’s senior management, where a possible voluntary arrangement was discussed, but which ended without agreement.
A team of PDA Union representatives held a second meeting with senior Boots managers on Thursday 5 July at a Boots’ store in Derby and discussions continued about the union’s formal request for recognition at the employer.
A team of PDA Union representatives attended a meeting with senior Boots managers on Friday 22 June, at Boots’ head office in Nottingham, as part of the process to establish how the company and union respond to the wishes of pharmacists expressed through the recent ballot.
Following the decisive result in the ballot of Boots pharmacists, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) have terminated the agreement between Boots and the BPA, which blocked PDA Union’s previous attempts to get formal recognition at the company.
The decisive voting in the ballot that ends the recognition agreement between Boots and the BPA should be the start of a new chapter for community pharmacy employee relations with the PDA Union now moving towards recognition as the independent voice of pharmacists at the company.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England; Company No 4746656.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association is an appointed representative in respect of insurance mediation activities only of The Pharmacy Insurance Agency Limited which is registered in England and Wales under company number 2591975 and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Register No 307063)
The PDA Union is recognised by the Certification Officer as an independent trade union.
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