The Pharmacists’ Defence Association has revealed it held an online meeting of pharmacists and trainee pharmacists working at Superdrug last month to impress upon them how they would benefit from PDA union recognition at the multiple.

The Teams meeting on October 30, which PDA Union general secretary Mark Pitt, who was in attendance, insisted “had a great turnout,” gave Superdrug pharmacists the chance to ask questions about how pay negotiations work as the PDA tries to secure union representation on their behalf.  

It said the meeting gave attendees the opportunity to find out how recognition can “support Superdrug pharmacists facing high targets and increased services.”

In September, the PDA announced it had made a formal application to secure union recognition for pharmacists at Superdrug following the Central Arbitration Committee’s (CAC) ruling that the PDA could proceed with “securing trade union recognition.”

The PDA said its meeting used its union’s recognition agreement at Boots to illustrate how it “has had a positive impact on pharmacists working there” and updated Superdrug pharmacists on ongoing talks between its management and the PDA about the bargaining unit.

The PDA claimed Superdrug was “seeking to exclude senior pharmacy managers from the bargaining unit” and insisted the chain’s Responsible Pharmacists “should be included and able to benefit from union recognition.”

“The company is trying to deny a small number of pharmacy managers access to trade union representation by excluding them from the bargaining unit, meaning they would not benefit from improved conditions to be negotiated by the union, such as pay increases,” PDA Union director Paul Day told Independent Community Pharmacist.

“The PDA want the managers of every Superdrug pharmacy to be part of the population that will have a voice at work through the union and have those benefits.”

Day said the CAC is deciding whether those individuals should be included in the bargaining unit.

When asked for a response to the PDA’s claims about senior managers and if it is trying to exclude Responsible Pharmacists from the bargaining unit, Superdrug told ICP it and the PDA “remain in constructive discussions about the Union’s recognition agreement.”

A Superdrug spokesperson said: "(We have) informed the PDA and the CAC that the bargaining unit will include senior pharmacy managers, pharmacy managers, pharmacists, relief pharmacists and foundation pharmacist roles in England, Scotland and Wales."

Pitt said the PDA was “engaging with many Superdrug pharmacists offline too.” When asked if the PDA was holding face-to-face meetings with Superdrug pharmacists, Day said: “As we always do, we’re hearing from members directly to our team via calls, email and social media; individuals talk to local PDA Union representatives which gets passed on and we also hold more structured events like the one on 30 October which was on Teams.

“With the everyday use of video conferencing available now, the PDA is normally holding virtual meetings with one or more groups of members on any given day.

“We have around 100 members at Superdrug and we are also in communication with those who are not yet members as we can now send printed material direct to them via an organisation appointed by the CAC for that purpose.”