Bargaining agreement talks begin at Boots


Negotiations to establish the first ever collective bargaining agreement between the Boots chemist chain and the PDAU pharmacists’ union began last month. The PDAU won statutory recognition in March after a bitter seven-year battle.


The union and the company issued a joint statement after the meeting saying that the negotiations would cover the terms of the agreement, how it will work and what it will cover, and it acknowledged “the cooperation needed to define our future work”.


It said: “It’s not always going to be easy, and there will be some things we aren’t in agreement on, but equally, we have common ground and shared goals that we can work together to develop.”


Meanwhile, the PDAU is partnering with retail union Usdaw to encourage everyone working in community pharmacy to join an independent union. 


While the PDAU only represents pharmacists, it says it is sometimes contacted by other workers in the sector who are interested in joining a union, in which case it recommends they join Usdaw. The two unions have produced a leaflet explaining the support both unions can offer.


The PDAU has also affiliated to the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, having been formed at a special Congress of the Trades Union Congress in 1899. The GFTU provides education and other services for affiliated specialist unions.

https://www.the-pda.org/wp-content/uploads/Boots_5_page_leaflet_12_04_19.01.pdf

https://www.the-pda.org/join-a-union