All pharmacists within the bargaining unit will receive a 3% pay rise backdated to April 1, national negotiator and lead for the Lloydspharmacy negotiations Paul Moloney wrote in an email – seen by C+D – to PDA members this afternoon (July 12).

Other benefits obtained through the revised offer include the introduction of an overtime rate of 1.5 times basic pay for each hour worked after contracted hours.

This “will be reviewed as part of the next pay round”, Mr Moloney said.

Additionally, all pharmacists will receive £1,000 “as the initial payment”, under the proposed long-term incentive plan (LTIP) scheme, which will be paid in April 2024.

The LTIP will also see “additional payments made to those paid under any existing bonus arrangements”, he said.

C+D has approached Lloydspharmacy for comment.

 

Revised pay offer

 

The agreement follows a further round of pay talks between the union and the multiple, after union members at Lloydspharmacy rejected the company’s third pay offer last month. At the time, Lloydspharmacy described this as its “final offer”.

However, a revised offer was sent to members on July 5 and, following a vote, the PDA is “now able to report that members have voted by 60% to 40% to accept”, Mr Moloney wrote.

He also acknowledged the deal had “moved the company significantly from their original proposal” and thanked members for their participation.

“Your views are essential in guiding your negotiating team and ensuring we are able to fully represent your views,” he said.

“What the union negotiates applies to all pharmacists within the bargaining unit, though only union members are able to vote on acceptance or rejection of any deal,” he added.

 

Lloydspharmacy: “Highly competitive” offer

 

Following the announcement, a Lloydspharmacy spokesperson told C+D on Friday (July 15) that the multiple is “pleased to have reached an agreement with the PDA”.

The offer “is highly competitive within the market” they added, and “we are also pleased to be introducing a market-leading long-term incentive plan, which will give our pharmacists the opportunity to earn up to £10,000 extra per year, dependent on performance and tenure”, they said.

“We would like to thank all of our pharmacists for their patience and continued focus during these discussions. This is the first round of pay negotiations between Lloydspharmacy and the PDA and we are pleased with how the process has worked and that we have ultimately reached a mutually agreeable outcome,” they told C+D.

 

*This news story was updated on July 15 to include comments received by Lloydspharmacy