Sky news has this week has reported that LloydsPharmacy owner McKesson is in talks to sell. The national media are reporting that McKesson UK has a plan to dispose of their c.1,500 branch community pharmacy business. This move could potentially have a significant impact on the community pharmacy landscape in the UK and will affect thousands of community pharmacy employees across the UK.
The Pharmacist Defence Asociation (PDA) has responded to these media reports. They have sought to reassure members that the union will be doing all it can to protect their employment should this be accurate.
The PDA Union recently secured trade union recognition rights at the company and is in the process of establishing a network of union representatives and consultative negotiating structures across the business.
Paul Day, PDA Director said:
“Whatever the future brings for the LloydsPharmacy business the PDA Union will continue to act in the interests of our members and will be supporting them to exercise their rights at work.”
“Pharmacists will have a number of concerns if the reported strategy were to be implemented, such as: Who is buying the business? Will it be kept together? What will be the consequences for my branch, my working hours and my employment? Whatever the answers to these questions, PDA members can be assured that we will be alongside them to ensure their voice is heard and to support them.”
“Our members will be understandably concerned about these media reports, however, we can say that whoever owns the business and whatever shape or structure it has in future, the PDA will be there for our members. We are already hearing from some pharmacists who are worried by what they are seeing in the media and we will be keeping members advised if and when this situation progresses.”