Every trade union that is affiliated to a national trade union congress has opportunities to help shape the views and priorities of congress. That includes being able to propose motions at delegate conferences.
The PDA’s ‘Independent Voice for Pharmacists’ motion will be presented at the conference by Una O’Farrell, PDA National Official in Northern Ireland.
The PDA’s first motion to this conference states, “… while the PDA Union is securing recognition agreements and giving an independent voice to pharmacist workforces within each employer, when seeking pharmacy engagement external structures still reflect the bygone age when pharmacists were also the proprietor of the pharmacy. Employer bodies are allowed to adopt a dual representative role – both campaigning for increased investment in their business, and the terms of their own contracts with government, while also claiming to represent the workforce.”
The ICTU is the single umbrella organisation for trade unions and is the largest civil society organisation in Ireland. It is required, through its mission statement, to strive to achieve economic development, social cohesion and justice by upholding the values of solidarity, fairness and equality.
Una O’Farrell said “I’m incredibly proud to be proposing a motion at the ICTU conference on behalf of pharmacists in Northern Ireland, this is a first for the PDA and for the profession. Pharmacists are highly skilled, interested and motivated, and hold informed opinions on how to advance the profession, and it is beyond time that this point of view was included in discussion at all levels. I am delighted the NUJ has agreed to second the motion.”
“I hope pharmacists will see their concerns are being raised and their voices amplified through the PDA and I would encourage non-members to join the PDA, get involved in activity and work together to improve pharmacy for the benefit of pharmacists and patients.”
The conference is taking place at the ICC Waterfront in Belfast from 26 – 27 October 2021.
The full wording of the PDA’s ‘Independent Voice for Pharmacists’ motion (motion 45) can be found on page 38 of the below document.
DOWNLOAD THe MOTIONS DOCUMENT HERE
Related links
- Northern Irish trade union movement supports pharmacist campaigns
- Pharmacists’ union the PDA affiliates to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
- PDA Union announces recognition agreement covering pharmacists in Northern Ireland working for GP Federations
- LloydsPharmacy and the PDA Union reach recognition agreement for pharmacists
- Boots and the PDA Union sign voluntary recognition agreement
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being provisionally registered/newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.