It was back in 2019 that the PDA Union and Boots UK signed a recognition agreement.
The signing of this agreement followed on from a ballot of Boots pharmacists in which a huge majority of the votes cast, voted in favour of the PDA Union.
Once the ballot had been won, the PDA Union had to find pharmacists to be workplace representatives for the union, with one being appointed to each region. What followed was some intensive training to equip us with the skills to support our members, fellow Boots pharmacists like me. We were all a little nervous going back to our stores with our new roles. Let’s remember it was new for Boots too. Never in the company’s long history has an independent trade union been recognised in Boots pharmacies. Pharmacists now had an independent voice and negotiating rights with Boots.
A lot of the work that my colleagues and I do is to provide support for our members, this may be simple advice over the phone to being a representative in a disciplinary meeting. It always humbles me when members express their thanks after being supported in a formal meeting, I honestly cannot think of anything more daunting than going through such a process alone.
As Chair of the PDA workplace reps, I thought it would be a nice idea to look back and highlight the achievements of our first 5 years in Boots.
These are my personal highlights.
- Harmonisation of UK Pay Ranges – Trade unionism is all about fairness, and we felt that pharmacists working for Boots should not be paid less in Northern Ireland. So, we took this to Boots, and they agreed.
- Trainee Pharmacists Contracted Hours – We were also surprised to find that contracted hours differed for trainee pharmacists depending which part of the UK you worked. Following negotiation, all trainees now work the same hours.
- Additional Payments for Short Notice Shifts – As pharmacists, I am sure that we have all stepped in and supported our colleagues and worked an extra shift when a gap occurs. We felt that pharmacists who supported the company when this happens should be rewarded. Pharmacists now receive a payment when they fill a short notice shift.
- Health and Safety Inspections – Most of the Rep network are trained H&S reps and this means that we can visit stores and carry out an inspection. When visiting stores, we are looking to improve the working conditions of our members. We have a built a positive working relationship with the Boots H&S team to escalate any identified problems.
- Paid time for Training – Being accessible is part of the uniqueness of the role of pharmacist. That might be great for our patients, but it can make some tasks difficult, e.g., the completion of training in work time. Following negotiation, the first option should always be training in work time, but with the agreement of the pharmacist, training can be completed in personal time, and they will be paid or given time off in lieu.
- Store Closures / Store Sales – The last 5 years has seen some significant changes in the High Street, and Boots made the decision to reduce the number of branches. Some were closed. Some were sold. We were there to support pharmacists, and we protected the rights of our members and managed to achieve some notable successes.
- Negotiating Pay, Terms & Conditions – Prior to the PDA Union’s involvement pharmacists were told what pay award they were going to get. That is no longer the case, we are the only group of store employees who the company negotiate with. And the result has been for the last 2 years, pharmacists have negotiated greater pay awards compared to others in salaried roles. This year was a landmark year, it was the first time in 10 years that pharmacists achieved an inflation plus pay award.
I am sure my fellow PDA reps will have their own highlights, but one thing is certain. These improvements would not have been achieved without the involvement of the PDA Union and the work of the reps.
In the last 5 years we have worked with Boots to deliver improvement and built some strong relationships with senior leaders. I am looking forward to the next 5 years and working with our members to deliver a brighter future.
I would like to thank the PDA team for all their support and coaching, thanks are also due to our members, a union is nothing without its members. I would also like to thank our colleagues at Boots for embracing change.
But I think special thanks should go to the PDA reps in Boots who as well as being pharmacists are there to support members whenever and wherever support is needed.
Gordon Finlayson, Chair of the PDA Workplace Reps in Boots
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