Boots is taking its legal battle against the PDA Union to the high court this month.

The multiple is challenging the Central Arbitration Committee's (CAC's) decision to progress the union's application to formally represent Boots employees. The judicial review will take place on October 23.  

The judicial review will take place on October 23 and follows the CAC's rejection of Boots' appeal against the PDA Union gaining formal recognition to represent its employees.

The health and beauty giant reiterated on Friday (October 4) that, although it respected employees' rights to have union membership, it did not believe it was in the "wider interest" of its staff to formally recognise the PDA "at this time". 

Boots says it is not in the "wider interest" of its staff to formally recognise the PDA Union "at this time"	More on the PDA Union and Boots Boots seeks review after appeal against       PDA Union rejected Boots fights to avoid formal PDA union       representation Central Arbitration Committee case
	The PDA Union told C+D that it would consider taking its case to the European Court of Human Rights if the high court did not uphold the CAC's decision.

Boots announced in February that it would be seeking a judicial review after the CAC refused to reconsider its January decision to accept the PDA Union's application. The CAC, the statutory adjudicator, said at the time that it still needed to be satisfied that the union had met the threshold of at least 10 per cent of pharmacists employed by Boots having membership.  

Boots told C+D last week that it would be questioning the CAC's departure "from the wording of existing legislation" and asking for clarity on what effect the PDA Union's application would have on its existing agreement with the Boots Pharmacist Association (BPA). The BPA told C+D it had no input into the battle.  

PDA Union general secretary John Murphy told C+D that the union would be making representations at the judicial review hearing.  

"If the high court upholds the CAC decision, Boots will have to get on with the process. If it doesn't, then the ultimate option we could take is to end up at the European Court of Human Rights," he said.  

The CAC will be further considering the PDA Union's application, including its membership, at a hearing on October 25.  

Boots UK employs about 6,000 pharmacists, according to its website, and the PDA Union claims to have 2,100 Boots members. The BPA said it had "just over"  2,000 members.