The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has expressed disappointment at the omission, once again, of the promised Employment Rights Bill omitted from the Queen's Speech earlier this week.
The Bill is pledged to strengthen day one Employment rights and increase the productivity of businesses.
It set out plans which would protect and enhance workers' rights and aim to make the UK the best place in the world to work at. This included plans to introduce the right to request flexible working for around 2.2 million people in Great Britain - regardless of time served in a bid to modernise the way employees work.
The PDA said: "The Employment Rights Bill would have presented an opportunity to improve the ability for workers to obtain redress in the event of poor treatment or discrimination through the development of a single labour market enforcement body.
"Poor Employment practices, such as insecure work through long-term zero-hours contracts, unilaterally changing workers' terms and conditions by terminating their
contracts and re-hiring them on new terms and conditions (also known as fire and rehire), and the sacking of workers without notice, as recently demonstrated by P
& O Ferries, could have been outlawed under new legislation."
Pharmacists delivering to the Scottish prison service have been notified by their employer LloydsPharmacy that they may be transferred to another employer or
even be at risk of redundancy.
The Pharmacists Defence Association said: "It is supporting pharmacists employed by LloydsPharmacy who have been advised that the company has not retendered for the
contract to provide pharmacy services to the Scottish prison service.
As a result of LloydsPharmacy exiting the contract, those pharmacists may transfer to whichever employer takes over the service, or if their function does not
transfer to a new employer they will be at risk of redundancy."
The PDA Union will be representing these individuals to ensure they understand and can exercise their rights at work to either continue their current role under a
new employer, transfer to a suitable alternative role, or leave with the appropriate redundancy compensation.
PDA members impacted by this change can contact the PDA Service Centre for advice.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is playing a vital role in helping pharmacists who are dealing with stress at the workplace. It launched its new
awareness factsheet 'It's Time to Address Stress' last week.
The factsheet looks at the causes and symptoms of stress in the workplace and provides advice on ways pharmacists can access support and improve working conditions.
The association said that it recognises the well-being services offered by employers and specialist charities such as the PDA's charity partner Pharmacist Support
play an important part in helping pharmacists who may be experiencing stress.
However, the PDA is also committed to working with members to challenge employers to provide well workplaces and to help them to make real impact changes. This can
be done by addressing the causes of stress and fulfilling their responsibilities to their employees.
It added: "Under the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required by law to protect employees from harm. Their legal obligations include identifying hazards and risks and implementing ways to reduce or eliminate them. The PDA's new factsheet highlights the importance of employers recognising the hazards causing stress as the health and safety issues they are."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has begun conciliation with 86 pharmacy companies to safeguard the interests of former LloydsPharmacy pharmacists.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), a government agency, serves as a mediator between companies and employees to resolve disputes. If the
ongoing mediation prove unsuccessful, individual employees retain the option to file claims in the employment tribunal, the PDA has said.
The ongoing dispute centres around employers potentially failing to conduct the required consultation under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of employment)
regulations (TUPE) with employees and their representatives during employee transfers, the PDA said.
The TUPE legislation, known for its complexity and technical nature, applies when a section of the company, like a pharmacy sold as an asset using standard disposal,
undergoes a transfer.
According to NHS England's recent pharmaceutical list, LloydsPharmacy has either sold or shuttered 461 branches since September 2022. According to NHSE data, as of
June 30, the pharmacy chain operates approximately 512 pharmacies in England. This positions it as the third-largest chain after Boots UK and Well Pharmacy.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has welcomed the government's defeat in the House of Lords on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
It believes that the proposed Bill, if enacted, would allow the government to dictate minimum levels of service during times of industrial action, enabling
employers to name specific employees that they require in work.
Those employees could then face losing their jobs if they failed to turn up to work on that day. Trade unions could also be fined if they did not force those named
individuals to go to work.
PDA director, Paul Day said, "This Bill should be of real concern to pharmacists and other health professionals. The idea of their employer being able to effectively
conscript them to work or face the sack does not feel like a positive employment relations environment."
The House of Lords has voted for key amendments to the Bill to prevent unions from being required to force workers to comply. This also prevents workers from being
forced to work or face the sack and allows for greater consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny on the proposals which the Westminster government is trying to
implement.
The House of Commons will now be required to vote on the amendments over the next few weeks. Whilst the House of Lords amendments are likely to be defeated, it
shows the degree of opposition there is to this Bill.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has reacted to the chief pharmaceutical officer (CPhO) for Wales's offer for community pharmacy contractors,
offering a funding uplift for community pharmacy on the condition of an increase in pay for some staff by at least the amount currently being imposed upon NHS
employees.
The PDA has expressed a mixed reaction to the intervention being attempted by the Welsh government.
"It is unusual for a government to be so closely involved in the pay of their suppliers' employees and those at some community pharmacy employers have a contractual
right to a pay review at times of year that may not synchronize with the government's financial cycle, so this initiative may have different impacts at different
employers," said the association.
"In addition, the PDA negotiates pay at the largest two community pharmacy employers and works alongside other trade unions that organise other pharmacy workers.
This government intervention must not disrupt or attempt to bypass those processes."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is supporting pharmacists in England whose employment has been impacted by the creation of new NHS structures.
As a result of the 2022 Health and Care Act, Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) were established in England, and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were closed on 1
July 2022. Each of the ICSs includes two key parts: an Integrated Care Board (ICB) and an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).
The association said: "The previous structures in England, established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, originally had over 200 clinical commissioning groups.
This number had reduced over recent years via mergers."
"However, this latest shift to just 42 commissioning entities means a significant change to significantly larger geographies and populations covered by each ICS.
Although each ICS and its activity can be subdivided into 'places', and within places into 'neighbourhoods', it is at the ICS level that the employer is formed."
"Whereas CCGs previously employed many local health professionals, including pharmacists, the new arrangements mean that ICBs are now that employer. The PDA is
supporting members who have contacted its Service Centre about the impact of these changes."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has called on pharmacy employers and pharmacists organisations to make donations towards the Pharmacist Support charity in the new year.
The association has urged them to donate £1 per pharmacist employee or member to the charity group to increase its funding from 2022 onwards.
Pharmacist Support, an independent charity, provides a variety of support services to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists and pharmacy students in Great Britain.
It provides support through twelve sessions of fully funded counselling topharmacists, students, or trainees.
Since 2018, the association has donated more than £150,000 to the charity, in turn supporting its members who additionally seek assistance from Pharmacist Support.
Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) members working for Boots have raised concerns over possible reduction in their pay following the multiple's proposed changes to some pharmacies' opening hours.
Member pharmacists have expressed concerns as "despite verbal assurances that the company aim to minimise pharmacist job losses, they are being told that proposed changes will reduce their income if they remain with the company," PDA has stated.
PDA added that several pharmacists have been told that the proposed reduction to their hours will be more than 10 per cent, which could result in reduction in pay every month.
Salary cuts could render future employment unsuitable and might force pharmacists to leave the company with redundancy, the association said.
The menopause is a natural aging process, whereby a woman's oestrogen level drops thus disrupting periods until they eventually stop.
A woman is said to be in the menopause when her periods have stopped for 12 months. The age when this usually occurs is between 45-55 but symptoms can begin prior
to this. Symptoms vary and not all women experience them all.
They include hot flushes, vaginal dryness, joint and muscle pain, insomnia, reduced libido, urinary problems such as bladder weakness or Urinary Tract Infections
(UTIs), but this list is not exhaustive.
Up to a third of women declare that the menopause affects their quality of life. It is obvious that such physical changes can have an effect on ones well-being.
Women going through the menopause are at increased risk of developing depression, low self-esteem and problems with concentration (often called brain fog).
There are lots of misconceptions in the public and workplace around menopause as it is a little discussed topic. Did you know 45 per cent of women feel their
menopause symptoms have had a negative impact on their work and 47 per cent of women have said that they won't tell their employer if they need to take a day-off
from work because of menopausal symptoms?
So, with women making up nearly half of the UKs workforce, have you thought about what support your workplace offers for you? And if you are an employer, what could
you be doing to support your colleagues who need help during this time?
To help stop the pharmacists pay delay in Northern Ireland, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) will present a motion on fairer pay to the ICTU
Biennial Delegate Conference, taking place from 5 to 7 July.
The PDA motion states, "…there are other employers within the health system, that echo Agenda for Change terms, despite the fact they are essentially private
businesses contracted to the NHS, not actually public bodies. While echoing the pay structure has some advantages, these employers also seek to unnecessarily
delay pay increases on the basis that the NHS changes are so delayed.
The Universities in Ulster Schools of Pharmacy are ranked as some of the highest in the UK. They are gifting our population with high calibre graduates destined
to provide excellent patient care. These pharmacists want to stay in a job that helps patients. They want to deliver the care that they have spent years of time
and often thousands of pounds to render themselves confident and capable."
Tesco, one of the leading pharmacy chains in the UK, has been allegedly accused of forcing some locum pharmacists to accept lower rates or it will cancel
their booking. The issue has been brought to the notice of the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) by some of its locum pharmacists members.
"Some locum pharmacists who had existing confirmed bookings at Tesco stores have reported to the PDA that the company has contacted them to say that if they do not
agree to accept lower rates than have already agreed, the company will cancel their booking," said PDA.
"The reported messages follow a communication from Tesco setting self-imposed so-called "wage rates" for locums. This is confusing as locums are self-employed and
therefore should be able to negotiate rates with their clients just as any other independent supplier can do. Using terminology such as "wage rates" is more
indicative of an employer-employee relationship and could undermine the status of the locum market in community pharmacy. Employees are also entitled to various
extra benefits and have greater employment rights."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association has asked Boots UK to waive any restrictive clause that prevents pharmacists working with the multiple from working for other pharmacy employers, even after leaving the company.
However, the firm is yet to respond to the formal request, PDA said in an update.
This request follows demand from the association members shortly after the company announced it's plans to cut opening hours.
On workforce shortages, the PDA stated if there was a genuine shortage, then preventing pharmacists from working for other pharmacy employers to make up for the lost hours would be counterproductive and it would further exacerbate any "shortage".
Too many unreasonable demands placed on pharmacists by employers affect their health and wellbeing at work, a stress and wellbeing survey conducted by The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Union revealed.
The survey, conducted during Autumn 2021, covered views of over 2,000 pharmacists employed by big multiples - Lloyds, Boots, and Well.
This survey used questions developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which enabled the union to understand more about stress and wellbeing in three of the
largest community pharmacy multiples.
Analysing the survey, the PDA said that some pharmacists working for each of the three employers highlighted "unachievable targets, unrealistic time pressures, and
most worrying of all reported numerous instances of bullying and harassment."
An overwhelming majority of the respondents reflected personal sacrifices made by the pharmacists to ensure patient services are not impacted by the poor conditions
and environments in some pharmacies.
The government has previously committed to introducing several new family-friendly rights following numerous consultations over the last few years.
These include: neonatal leave and pay; carer's leave; and extending redundancy protection for pregnant women and new parents.
The government confirmed it would implement these reforms in the long-awaited Employment Bill, first announced in the Queen's speech back in 2019.
However, the Employment Bill was not referred to in the Queen's speeches in both May 2021 and May 2022 therefore it remains unclear when these reforms will be
prioritised.
Nevertheless, at this stage, it is helpful for pharmacy business owners and managers to have an understanding of the direction of travel when it comes to family
friendly rights in the workplace.
Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb has become the first pharmaceutical company in the UK to be accredited as a 'menopause friendly workplace'.
The accreditation, awarded by an independent panel of judges, recognises employers who put diversity, inclusion and wellbeing at the centre stage of their business.
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) said it rung in the changes in recognition of the fact that nearly eight of 10 menopausal women are in work and that this is the fastest
growing demographic in the workforce.
Panel members described BMS UK&I's application as "outstanding" and acknowledged "the huge strides they have made to help normalise the menopause" by fostering an
inclusive culture.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has welcomed the Westminster government's move to backtracked from their plan to remove a large number of rights and
standards and is having to overhaul the Retained EU Law Bill.
This had included a number of employment rights, including TUPE transfers and the Working Time Directive, which had been established in the UK from EU law.
The Bill's 'sunset clause' was originally going to automatically repeal any EU law not enshrined in UK law by the end of 2023. Critics of the Bill were concerned
that this gave the government powers to reform or remove laws without normal Parliamentary scrutiny.
"This would have abolished many improvements to workers' rights which were enacted through the EU legislature," said PDA.
In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, a career change might seem like the least of your worries. In the ever-changing healthcare landscape, however, it is important to keep sight of your prospects and future post-COVID.
At times, vaccines can become a controversial topic. People often have strong opinions about where protecting society as a whole stops and an individual's rights start. With COVID-19 in the news and the potential for a vaccine, the topic is not going away any time soon.
If you're a healthcare worker, vaccine requirements are likely not new to you. But can employers mandate vaccines, and can you refuse? Keep reading to find out more.
Expressing its concerns over the Government's decision to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for health workers in England, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said an "informed choice" is better than compulsory vaccination.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said today (Nov 9) that health workers in England will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by April 1, 2021, making it a mandatory condition of employment for those on the frontline of the NHS.
"All those working in the NHS and social care will have to be vaccinated. We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS and of course protect the NHS itself," Javid told parliament.
The RPS said it "strongly encourages all pharmacists to take advantage of the Covid-19 vaccination programme and to get vaccinated unless there is a medical reason not to do so". It belies that "this is best practice" and part of the pharmacists' responsibility to act in the best interest of their patients.
