Soh Xi Ken, a PDA Workplace Representative in NHS Lothian and recipient of the 2023 STUC Equality Award, attended alongside Martha Dangana, a pharmacy student at Robert Gordon University. Together, they joined young delegates from across Scotland to discuss the challenges facing today’s workforce and to explore how trade unions can help shape a fairer future for young workers.
The STUC Youth Conference provides a unique forum where young trade union members come together to debate workplace issues, share experiences, learn from one another and develop new ideas for campaigning and organising. It also offers delegates an opportunity to build networks across different industries and professions, creating connections that strengthen the wider trade union movement.
For the PDA, participation in events such as the STUC Youth Conference ensures that pharmacists and pharmacy students have a voice in discussions that influence the future direction of trade union campaigning in Scotland. It also provides an opportunity to highlight the challenges facing the profession while demonstrating the valuable contribution pharmacists make to patient care and public health.
Reflecting on the experience, Soh Xi Ken said, “STUC Youth Conference was a great opportunity to connect with young trade unionists across the country. We discussed topics about fighting austerity, international solidarity, neurodivergence in the workplace, and integrating community pharmacists into the NHS. It was a great way to highlight the work that the PDA have been doing to help pharmacists across the country.”
Xi Ken’s comments highlight the importance of giving young pharmacists opportunities to engage beyond their immediate workplaces. Conferences such as this allow members to learn from the experiences of other workers, contribute pharmacist perspectives to wider debates and develop skills that can be taken back into their workplaces and branches.
For Martha Dangana, attending as a pharmacy student offered a valuable opportunity to engage with the wider trade union movement at an early stage in her professional journey. As future pharmacists enter an increasingly complex healthcare environment, understanding the role of collective organisation, workplace representation, and professional advocacy is more important than ever.
Martha said of her time at the conference, “I had a fantastic weekend at the STUC Youth Conference 2026 with the PDA. It was my first time attending and it was great to be a part of the incredible work these trade unions are doing to help better young people across Scotland. I think it was a great conference, I probably could have prepared a bit more because it was all a bit new to me, but I’m definitely really glad I went. It was really encouraging to see the young people being so passionate about issues that matter not only to them, but to hear the support they had for other marginalised groups facing discrimination”
The PDA has a long history of supporting members to become active in their workplaces, communities, and professional networks. Involvement in conferences such as the STUC Youth Conference helps members develop confidence, leadership skills and a deeper understanding of how trade unions work together to improve working lives. It also demonstrates that pharmacists have much to contribute to discussions beyond the profession itself.
Issues such as equality, workplace wellbeing, public services, fair pay, and access to healthcare affect pharmacists along with many other workers. By participating in the wider trade union movement, PDA members can help ensure that these conversations are informed by the realities of working in healthcare.
The PDA is proud that Xi Ken and Martha represented the union at this year’s conference and would encourage other student, trainee pharmacists, and early-career members to consider getting involved in future opportunities. Whether through workplace representation, campaigning activity, conferences, or professional networks, participation helps members develop new skills, broaden their perspectives and make a meaningful contribution to the future of both the profession and the trade union movement.
Their involvement serves as a reminder that the strength of the PDA lies not only in supporting members when they need assistance, but also in creating opportunities for members to influence change, develop as leaders and represent the profession on the wider stage.
The PDA would like to thank Xi Ken and Martha for representing the PDA at the 86th STUC Youth Conference and looks forward to seeing more young members taking up similar opportunities in the future.
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