By Neil Trainis

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association has warned the Welsh Government not to disrupt or bypass any negotiations it holds with pharmacy employers over pay after the country’s chief pharmaceutical officer Andrew Evans told contractors they would have access to an extra £3m in community pharmacy funding as long as they give employees a pay rise.

The PDA said it had a “mixed reaction” to the Welsh government’s “intervention” and its insistence that access to the additional revenue, which takes the sector’s 2022-23 funding to £157.2m, is dependent on employees who are directly involved in pharmaceutical services receiving a minimum pay rise of four per cent.

Citing its negotiations on pay at two of the largest pharmacy employers, Boots and LloydsPharmacy, the PDA said it was well-placed to hold such talks with other pharmacy bosses and warned the Welsh government that giving employers an ultimatum to increase employees’ pay or face a lower increase in funding would “not restrict those employers from unilaterally deciding to try and reduce other aspects of reward in consequence". 

“This highlights why the better solution would be for the government in Wales to work effectively in social partnership with trade unions and employers and make it easier for unions in community pharmacy to collectively bargain on behalf of their members,” the PDA said.

The organisation has already called on the Welsh health minister Eluned Morgan to introduce the three-way “social partnership agreement" that would bring together the government, employers and independent trade unions to talk about pay and conditions, health and safety and patient safety.

PDA director Paul Day said: “Every client for any product or service has a responsibility for conditions along their supply chain, and in general we endorse the concept of conditions being applied to suppliers that aim to improve workers’ conditions and patient care.

“For example, we believe that it would not only be reasonable for a Welsh Labour government to require all suppliers to be a living wage employer and to recognise a trade union, but the government could also add requirements on operational standards such as safe staffing levels. However, the context and consequences of this specific intervention also need to be considered.”

Pictured is Andrew Evans at the Independent Pharmacy Awards at the House of Commons.