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Pharmacists working for Boots are to receive a pay increase of 4.5%, following an agreement between Boots and the Pharmacists’ Defence Association Union (PDAU).
The pay rise will be effective from 1 November 2022, and the current short-notice payments will also continue, Boots and the PDAU said in a joint statement.
The statement, signed by Anne Higgins, pharmacy director at Boots UK, and Paul Moloney, national officer at the PDAU, said that both sides recognised the “unique market circumstances” and “current price inflation” for pharmacists working in the community pharmacy sector, which is reflected in the agreed pay and benefits package.
All pharmacists will receive the 4.5% pay increase, 0.5% of which is a non-consolidated payment. The only exceptions will be those who joined the workforce on or since 1 August 2022; those rated as ‘not performing’ at the end of this financial year; and trainee pharmacists.
‘Top-up’ payments will be implemented for those who have had a pay rise on or since 1 August 2022, amounting to less than the 4.5% increase, to ensure that all eligible pharmacists receive a pay rise of at least 4.5%.
The agreement outlined the importance of short-notice payments, which will be continued in order “to recognise the commitment and flexibility of pharmacists”.
Pharmacists who cover short notice absences and work a non-planned day with less than 48 hours’ notice will receive a bonus payment of £100 for an 8-hour day, which will be pro-rated if the shift is shorter than 8 hours.
The PDAU gained representation of Boots pharmacists in 2019, and in 2021 it negotiated a total remuneration package improvement of 3.9%.
The PDAU also negotiates pay for pharmacists working for Lloyds Pharmacy and the union told The Pharmaceutical Journal that pay negotiations for staff would begin later in 2022, with any pay increase taking effect in April 2023.
