On the 10th July Boots UK and the Pharmacists’ Defence Association Union (PDAU) signed their first voluntary recognition agreement. This agreement provided the PDAU with collective bargaining rights for negotiation on pay, hours and holiday, as well as consultative meetings on a range of topics, representing all store-based Boots pharmacists and pre-registration pharmacists.
The formal agreement means that the PDAU will negotiate the annual pay for these roles with Boots, the outcome of which will affect the pay of all colleagues within the bargaining unit, not just those who are members of the PDAU.
Whilst any changes to pay agreed through this process are not effective until the 1st of November, the process itself starts in July. The process begins with the PDAU formally submitting a claim which was received on the 15th July. The next stage is holding a meeting to understand the claim and this will be followed by a number of additional meetings where Boots will provide and discuss their response.
The meetings are held with the newly appointed Joint Negotiating Body (JNB) which consists of Senior Management Representatives from Boots and Union Officials and Divisional Employee Representatives from the PDAU.
On the 8th August, the first meeting since receiving the pay claim was held. The meeting was chaired by Anne Higgins, Director of Stores Scotland and Northern Ireland and was supported by Mark Pitt, Assistant General Secretary, acting as JNB secretary.
The meeting marks the start of negotiations relating to the annual pay claim and entailed a productive, 2-way discussion focused on understanding the key elements of the PDAU’s claim.
This process is the next key step in our new relationship in which both sides are committed to working in a productive, trusting, positive and successful partnership that will work to keep the best interests of the profession and business at its heart.
Boots will now take the time to carefully consider the claim in preparation for responding at the next meeting, which is planned for the 5th September.
Kind regards,
Anne Higgins, Director of Stores Scotland and Northern Ireland – Boots UK
Paul Day, PDAU National Officer