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Pharmacists working for LloydsPharmacy have agreed a pay deal that will see them given two lump sum bonus payments, but no overall salary increase.
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) Union, which represents pharmacists working for LloydsPharmacy, announced on 19 April 2023 that pharmacists would receive two non-consolidated lump sum payments: one of 3.5% of their annual salary in April 2023, and another of 2.3% in October 2023.
The PDA Union said in the update that it had been agreed that the payments should be lump sum payments this year, rather than added to salary, because “for many of our members there is considerable uncertainty about their long-term future with the company with many facing potential redundancy or transfer to new owners”.
“By structuring the deal in this way, we believe we have ensured that members in this position will receive the same benefit from this agreement as those members who will still be with the company this time next year.
“Normally the full value of any increase takes 12 months to accrue, essentially in monthly instalments.”
The PDA previously warned that LloydsPharmacy’s plan to withdraw services from 237 Sainsbury’s stores could put around 400 pharmacist jobs at risk.
In its statement, the PDA added: “We took the decision to accept the offer, which was clearly the company’s final offer. It is significantly improved from their initial offer and subsequent offers made during the negotiations.
“We believe the acceptance of the offer is firmly in the interests of members in view of the particular circumstances of uncertainty that exist at the moment and the need to ensure payment is made as quickly as possible.”
A spokesperson for LloydsPharmacy said: “This year, we have taken a different approach to our annual pay review process and have taken account of the cost-of-living challenges. This innovative approach has been well received by our pharmacists and the PDA Union.
“We would like to thank all of our pharmacists for their patience and continued focus during these discussions. We are pleased with how the process has worked and that we have reached a good outcome”.
