The agenda included an update on the ongoing pay negotiations, an outline of the PDA Health and Safety Survey and a discussion on the concerns raised by members who had completed the registration.
The pay negotiation session informed members working at Boots of the ongoing negotiations and provided a brief update on the progress of the talks, what was on offer and what was under dispute. As the element of the negotiations with ACAS are ongoing, reps could not provide an update on the progress of these meetings. Members will be able to have their say on the latest developments by completing the survey questions which have been circulated by email to PDA members this week.
Attendees at the sessions were told that the PDA Health and Safety Survey for those working at Boots had a very successful engagement rate. The data is currently being analysed and the results will be shared with members at future events. The PDA Reps Network in Boots also thanked those members and pharmacists who completed this survey, feedback from the frontline is important to inform future work of the PDA and the Reps network.
The reps also focused on areas of concern raised by members including areas such as workload, staffing, patient safety and pharmacist well-being.
Jayesh Ladva, Regional Representative for the North West and West Yorkshire, said, “The PDA member engagement evenings are a great way to virtually meet with your union representatives and give feedback about issues affecting pharmacists at work. They are very interactive and provide a safe platform for pharmacists to raise their concerns which can be addressed by the reps or escalated to senior management via the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) as appropriate.”
Bill O’Neill, PDA Member and Boots pharmacist said, “I found the PDA member event engaging and informative. I was glad to see that other Boots pharmacists shared similar concerns and that I was not alone. This event gave us a safe platform to share our concerns with our PDA reps who were listening and are prepared to support us.”
The series of online events had a fantastic turnout. Reps would like to encourage even more pharmacists to join the PDA and to join them at future events and meetings.
PDA members in Boots are encouraged to contact their local rep with any concerns they may have. Members who have feedback on how the PDA Reps Network in Boots can improve future member events can contact one of the reps here.
Related links
- PDA IN THE NEWS: Boots pay talks
- Boots Newsletter – November 2021
- Boots pharmacists pay talks at ACAS begin on 18 November
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