The PDA Union and LloydsPharmacy have reached a voluntary trade union recognition agreement. This means that pharmacists at LloydsPharmacy will in future be able to negotiate over certain terms and conditions and be consulted on matters which impact on their employment, through the PDA Union.
The recognition agreement comes after constructive talks between the two parties about how best to give the company’s c.2,600 pharmacists, a collective voice at work.
Johnny Dowd, Head of HR Operations at McKesson UK, parent company to LloydsPharmacy said: “Our pharmacists are highly valued individuals at the very heart of what we do, providing excellent care to their communities. Our aim is to provide them with a rewarding career in which they feel valued and able to achieve their professional and personal goals. We believe that the PDA can help us achieve that ambition and we are looking forward to working closely with them going forward.”
The recognition agreement means some pharmacists at the company will become trained PDA Union representatives and will represent and support colleagues in employment matters and be consulted and informed about significant challenges and opportunities faced by the business.
Paul Day, Director at PDA Union said: “LloydsPharmacy is a major employer of UK pharmacists and we are delighted that we have reached this outcome through a series of mutually respectful discussions focused on how we can jointly improve the experience of pharmacists at work.
We all understand that while we have many shared objectives, such as ensuring safe and healthy workplaces and professional fulfilment for pharmacists, we may not always agree on every issue. However, having an honest and constructive working relationship between employer and employee representatives means that we can navigate all circumstances, and by ensuring the voice of pharmacists is properly heard, that can only improve matters.”
The first pay negotiations under the new agreement will begin later this year in time for the 2022 pay review.
Mr. Dowd concluded: “Before reaching the agreement with PDA Union we asked our pharmacists what they wanted and there was clear support for us to work with the PDA in this way. We can reassure our pharmacists that we have listened to their views and we will continue to do so both directly and through this new relationship with the PDA Union.”
Download the joint statement below.
