The 24th November will be a date to remember for all of those associated with the PDA Union; on that day, the Certification Officer confirmed that the Union had been successful in its application under section 6 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 for a certificate of independence.
“This is momentous news indeed” said Mike Radcliffe, the Union Official who has advised the PDA through the process of moving from a ‘listed’ to an ‘independent’ status. “The emergence of new unions of any status has been very rare; to have a Union which was started from scratch two years ago, to achieve this level of certification is historic and probably not been done for nearly twenty years. It is a great credit to all those who have worked so tirelessly in making the PDA Union such an effective force in such a short timescale.”
In the process of the application, the Certification Officer scrutinised the work of the PDA. In a written response to him, John Murphy, the PDA Union General Secretary said
“I appreciate that this may be an unusual organisation for you to accredit. My understanding is that in recent times you are used to certifying organisations as ‘Independent Trades Unions’ that have evolved from being a representative body in one employer organisation and that you need to ensure there is no room for influence from the parent organisation.
The PDA Union in contrast has many members spread over a large number of companies ranging from employees in an independently owned pharmacy to a multiple chain that has 2000 outlets and employs over 5000 pharmacists. In addition, we have many members employed in hospital locations throughout the NHS and in other sectors such as Primary Care Trusts and the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
The PDA Union has evolved from ideals and values that have never seen it aligned to any employer of pharmacists; it was created only to serve the interests of the individual in challenging the status quo where it disadvantages its members and to protect their statutory employment rights and terms and conditions.”
The achievement of this legal status now opens a new chapter in the Union’s history, giving it the momentum to seek recognition agreements with employers.