The PDA is supporting a group employment tribunal claim involving around 80 pharmacists. This is regarding an entitlement to benefits under the enhanced redundancy scheme in their original Sainsbury’s contracts which they believe should have transferred to LloydsPharmacy under the TUPE regulations.
The latest update says:
Dear Colleague,
This update follows on from the last update that was provided after the delayed preliminary hearing was held on 2 April 2024
At that hearing the Tribunal Judge issued Case Management Orders (‘CMO’s) setting out what the parties were required to do in preparation for the final hearing listed to take place over 4 days starting on 17 March 2025.
The 2 main CMO’s that were made are:
- For the parties to agree a bundle of documents to be used at the final hearing.
Update: A draft bundle of documents for the hearing has now been prepared and over the course of the next couple of weeks the bundle will be agreed with the solicitors acting on behalf of the Liquidators at which stage the bundle will be finalised.
- For the parties to draft and exchange witness statements. The witness statements will provide us with the opportunity to set out all the facts relevant in this matter.
Update: Mark Pitt, PDA Director of Defence Services, will give evidence at the hearing as he represented the Pharmacists at both the Grievance and Appeal meetings. We anticipate that the PDA will also call another 2 witnesses.
As stated above the hearing will take place over 4 days starting on 17 March 2025. You will not be required to attend the hearing but as it is an ‘open hearing’ you may attend if you wish to.
Further information about the hearing will be provided in the new year.
Please note that even if the claim is successful, the prospects of recovering anything more than a token amount of compensation is highly unlikely due to the business being in liquidation and the claimants being low down on the list of creditors. The PDA recognises the strength of feeling amongst pharmacists impacted by the loss of their enhanced redundancy benefits and has decided to continue to fund the litigation so that company representatives can be held to account in the tribunal and a public record of the decision made available, in the hope this helps to bring some closure to claimants.
Learn more
- Lloyds/Sainsbury’s enhanced redundancy claims update – April 2024
- Lloyds/Sainsbury’s enhanced redundancy claims update – February 2024
- Lloyds/Sainsbury’s enhanced redundancy claims update
- Insolvency plans update of ‘Lloyds Pharmacy Limited’
- PDA responds to insolvency plans of ‘Lloyds Pharmacy Limited’
- PDA Union activities within LloydsPharmacy – December 2023
- PDA supports pharmacists as LloydsPharmacy complete divestment of their branch network
- Former Sainsbury’s employees to commence legal proceedings against LloydsPharmacy
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