Specific jobs become redundant when the needs of the business for employees to carry out work of a particular kind in the place where they are employed ceases or diminishes. Therefore, if a company no longer need a pharmacist at a location at which a member’s employment was located due to a decision to close the instore pharmacy, that person is subject to potential redundancy.
Though a specific role may be redundant, this does not automatically mean the individual ceases their employment if suitable alternative employment can be found, for example, if there is already a vacancy for a pharmacist role within a reasonable distance of that person’s home.
However, a pharmacy closure could lead to the end of someone’s employment if there are no suitable alternatives available with the employer.
The law requires that employers must follow ‘collective consultation’ rules if they are potentially making 20 or more employees redundant within any 90-day period at a single establishment, which at Boots means consulting with PDA as the recognised trade union for pharmacists. However, the recognition agreement between the union and Boots goes further and requires the company to also inform the union of redundancy plans impacting less than 20 employees.
This arrangement means the union can proactively support any pharmacists impacted by such a change. The PDA can provide pharmacists with advice and guidance regarding their rights in these circumstances and represent them should there be any dispute about the suitability of alternative employment, an actual redundancy decision or related issues.
Although negotiations, such as for pay, undertaken by the PDA can benefit all pharmacists in the bargaining unit (store/relief-based pharmacists) whether they are union members or not, the more tailored support provided for those challenging redundancy decisions cannot be provided to non-members, hence why the PDA encourages any pharmacist that is not yet a member, to join the PDA.
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