Sainsbury's claim that following 'extensive research' that they are altering locum fees to reflect the market rate. PDA Union issues advice to members.
A number of members have contacted PDA regarding changes that Sainbury's are making to locum rates. The changes to the rates appear to have originated from the introduction of a new locum booking and payment system that allows you to book shifts and will provide confirmation of bookings. The company claims to have undertaken extensive data analysis to review industry rates and has used this to assign an hourly rate for certain shifts. The geographical location of the pharmacy has also been taken into consideration and rates appear to vary from store to store.
We set out an example below of the informatio given to us by a member. Check your rate as it may differ but the essence is that rates are being severely reduced.
|
SHIFT TIME |
HOURLY RATE BY SHIFT |
|
Week day to 19:00 |
£22.00 |
|
Weekday evening after 19:00 |
£23.00 |
|
Saturday until 19:00 |
£24.00 |
|
Saturday after 19:00 |
£25.00 |
|
Sunday |
£26.00 |
|
Bank Holiday |
£26.00 |
According to some of our members, this represents a reduction in rates by £2.00 per hour for each of the shifts. A locum who works an 8 hour day will therefore be £16.00 worse off per day.
The company has said that it will honour bookings made at higher rates until 10th July 2011 and after this intends to impose the new rates above.
ADVICE
Our advice is that if bookings have been made at higher rates then these should continue in force and the company should honour the commitment it has made rather than reneging on the agreement they have entered into with you. If you sought to change an agreement you made with the company to your advantage by asking for higher fees, it would certainly be the case that they would not be interested in re-negotiating and would most likely cancel your bookings. We do not see why they should behave in this manner.
We have considered the fees that they believe are reasonable and we do not agree that they are in keeping with the market rate. We offer a debt recovery service to our members who encounter difficulties in obtaining payment from various companies whether they are large multiples or small independent pharmacies. £22.00 per hour is not what locums are charging for their services per hour and we would say that £25.00 per hour is a much more realistic figure.
It is also the case that no provision appears to be made for emergency bookings which can attract rates of between £30.00-£35.00 per hour.
With this in mind, the General Secretary of the PDA Union will be writing to Sainsbury's on your behalf to highlight these concerns. As always, the success of any challenge we make depends very much on your willingness to see things through. If Sainsbury's find it difficult to fill their vacancies they will realise that the rates they have set are not in accordance with the industry standard notwithstanding the "extensive data analysis" they have undertaken. If vacancies are filled then Sainsbury's will see no need to increase the rates and why should they. Please therefore think carefully about whether or not you wish to continue providing your services for the new rates. Once we receive a response we will provide you with an update.
This article was first published on the 'The PDA' website.
Please click on the following link to read the original article.
Please note that the PDA Union can't accept responsibility for the contents of external websites.