As Boots pharmacists prepare to vote on whether to recognise the PDA Union at Boots, the PDA Union has looked in to the files and found statements that senior Boots spokespeople have made about improving conditions for pharmacists during the 8 year period that they have worked against pharmacists securing recognition for the PDAU. But pharmacists are rightly questioning if these words ever actually make the promised improvements.
The PDA Union document below allows Boots pharmacists to see for themselves a selection of the promises made so that they can compare what was said to the reality of their experience working for the company.
Some of these promises repeat previous statements and an additional classic example was highlighted this week, which we also wanted to include in this post:
“It will be a powerful voice”[1]
“…will help give our pharmacists an even more powerful voice within the business” [2]
8 years apart, but what is being promised looks remarkably similar. One of these quotes is from the launch document for the internal “PPP” forum which the company introduced when pharmacists first moved towards PDAU recognition. The other, almost identical quote, is from a current document promoting the latest management suggestion of a BJNC (please see bottom of page for which is which) Read more about the BJNC here: https://www.the-pda.org/groundhog-day/ )
You can find the sample of Boots promises and observations here. Please judge for yourself if these promises have been met.
https://www.the-pda.org/boots-recognition/boots-promises/
Boots pharmacists and pre-regs should also have received this information from the PDA in the post, week commencing 4 February. The full document can be downloaded below, and contains additional information:
- What formal recognition would mean to Boots pharmacists
- “The view from the botanical gardens”
- How PDAU already help Boots pharmacists
- Walgreens Boots Alliance announces $1 billion per year cuts within three years, with a focus on the UK
Notes:
[1] “It will be a powerful voice” – Boots, 2019
[2] “…will help give our pharmacists an even more powerful voice within the business” – launch of PPP, 2011