Earlier this year, a statutory ballot indicated that a majority of pharmacists at Superdrug supported trade union recognition for the PDA. Following this result, representatives from both the company and the union have agreed on the implementation process and have formally signed the recognition agreement.
Mark Pitt, General Secretary of the PDA Union said “The PDA Union has established that it can be a constructive partner to those that employ our members, where we can avoid or resolve more employment matters locally, earlier and together and allow everyone to focus on patient care. We are hopeful that this is the beginning of another a positive relationship of mutual benefit for the company and to pharmacists.”
As part of the agreement, the PDA will identify and train Superdrug-employed pharmacists to serve as PDA representatives within the company. These representatives will be authorised to support their colleagues in discussions with management, with assistance from the PDA’s core team.
The recognition of the union does not replace the relationship between individual employees and their line managers, nor does it prevent management from fulfilling their responsibilities. Instead, it provides pharmacists with an additional, independent channel to express collective views and perspectives. Going forward, Superdrug management and the union will discuss certain employment matters and negotiate pay and conditions that apply to employed pharmacists within the bargaining unit.
Superdrug is the UK’s second largest health and beauty retailer and part of the AS Watson Group, which operates the world’s largest international health and beauty retail network, with over 17,000 stores in 31 markets worldwide and a workforce exceeding 130,000 employees. Approximately one quarter of Superdrug’s stores include in-store pharmacies, making the company a significant participant in UK community pharmacy.
The PDA is the only trade union in the UK exclusively for pharmacists and is also the largest membership body for the profession, with 40,000 members, representing about half of all pharmacists in the UK. PDA members work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, GP practices, health boards, prisons, and community pharmacies. The PDA already has similar recognition agreements in place with several private and public organisations that employ pharmacists.
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