This means the BPA are now derecognised. The PDA Union have submitted their formal request for recognition and are proceeding with the process to become the independent voice of pharmacists at work.
Effective Date
Following the ballot result last week, where 87% voted to end the blocking agreement between Boots & BPA, the CAC had sought views from all parties about when the derecognition should take effect.
- PDA Union asked that the agreement be ended this week.
- The BPA asked for it to continue until the end of July because they had a meeting booked with the company on 2 July.
- The company went even further, mentioned meetings scheduled between BPA and Boots up until November 2018 and asked that the agreement continue “until such time as alternative arrangements are put in place” .
CAC Decision
The CAC decision was:
“The ballot established that a majority of workers who voted in the ballot supported the proposal that the Union should be de-recognised by the Employer and the bargaining arrangements ended.
In accordance with paragraph 121(3) of the Schedule and following consultation with the parties, the CAC declares that the Union (Boots Pharmacists Association) should be de-recognised by the Employer (Boots Management Services Limited) and its bargaining arrangements for the bargaining unit are to be ended with immediate effect 11 June 2018.”
The CAC also confirmed that the derecognition concludes the legal case taken by the six pharmacists last July in which they were represented by the PDA Union. The six were the first ever workers to attempt this process, and they succeeded.
All eyes will now be on the company’s senior management to see how they respond to the overwhelming view expressed by their pharmacist employees and the CAC’s order.
Notes to Editor
About the PDA
The PDA (The Pharmacists’ Defence Association) is a not-for-profit organisation, which aims to act upon and support the needs of individual pharmacists and, when necessary, defend their reputation. All PDA members are entitled to free PDA Union membership.
The PDA Union is the only trade union in the UK exclusively for pharmacists. It has a certificate of independence and is a member of Unions21 and EPhEU. The PDA and the PDA Union have more than 28,000 members.
Press enquiries
For press enquiries, please contact the communications department on:
T: +44 (0)121 694 7000
E: press@the-pda.org
W: www.the-pda.org