Following research amongst their members, the PDA established the PDA Union for employee and locum pharmacists as well as undergraduates and pre-registration students.
Due to underwriter support, current FULL members of the PDA are able to join at no extra cost. All PDA members are given a choice as to whether they want to join the union element of the PDA and will be invited to join the union on an ongoing basis.
Membership of the PDA Union is available to non PDA members on payment of an annual membership fee.
The face of pharmacy is constantly changing; community employer organisations are getting larger and are exercising more power and influence on the political and pharmacy practice landscape. The NHS is constantly going through change programmes and as a consequence is leaving staff casualties in its wake. Pharmacists employed in both hospitals and Primary Care Trusts are feeling the pinch of these changes – known to some as the 'Agenda for Change'.
In addition to confronting inequalities, popular opinion amongst pharmacists is indicating that they want an organisation that is influential and proactive in putting forward the voice and ideas of the silent majority of pharmacists – the employee's and locums.
At the PDA, we take our members' opinions very seriously, and many members were telling us that it was time for us to react to the hostile changes in the pharmacy working environment by becoming a union.
Union status has provided many added benefits and statutory rights under current law to PDA members. We have the advantage of being a focused, properly resourced pharmacy driven organisation employing full time experienced pharmacists and lawyers. We also have the benefit of an Advisory Board comprising of fifteen eminent pharmacists, lawyers and barristers. Having a union arrangement has enabled us to make an even more effective and meaningful impact for individual pharmacists where it really matters with the government and with employers.
A Trades Union is usually an organisation which employees (or self employed workers) join to gain greater security at work. Union membership can provide greater influence collectively in relations with employers and more widely within the industry (profession) than workers have as separate individuals.
Recognised Unions can be set up to represent one particular skill set or interest group of workers across an industry such as The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) for pilots or, the PDA union in the case of pharmacists. A more generalist union such as the new amalgamated 'Transport and General Workers' Union and Amicus (Unite), which is currently the parent union of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists may recruit members from all industries and all types of employer.
A new union should apply to the Certification Officer of Trade Unions for listing – this is a pre-cursor to applying for a Certificate of Independence. It is normal for a union to be listed for one year before applying for a certificate of independence. During this time, amongst other things, it can represent its' members at grievance, disciplinary and redundancy hearings. On application and subject to a certificate being granted the union obtains a number of statutory rights including seeking recognition and bargaining agreements with employers where there are more than 50% of relevant employees who are members of the PDA Union.
All current and future members of the PDA will be given a choice as to whether they want to be part of the PDA union or not, there will continue to be an option to simply be a non-union PDA member.