“The PDA is urging all members who worked for Boots in or before 2010 and accrued benefits in the [pension] scheme to raise complaints under the internal dispute procedure” by December 5, it today (October 24) announced.
Boots parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) last year revealed that it had offloaded Boots employees’ pension scheme to financial service provider Legal and General (L&G) in a £4.8 billion deal.
Read more: Boots pensions dispute: ‘Secret rule change documents’ discovered
In December, the PDA launched the “first stage” of a formal complaints process about the deal following concerns that it could lead to a pension reduction for Boots employees wishing to withdraw their pension before they turn 65.
And in July, it announced that it had made the “unexpected discovery” that Boots changed pension rules “in secret”.
Now, the PDA has said that it is “preparing to assist members in making complaints to the pensions ombudsman for a legally binding final decision”.
“Very important”
“It is very important that any member who potentially has a complaint uses the internal disputes procedure first to ensure they are covered by any ruling from the ombudsman,” it added.
“This only relates to the defined benefit scheme that was closed to new entrants and future accrual in 2010” and is “therefore is not relevant to anyone who only started working for Boots after the scheme was closed”, it said.
“Members who this does apply to are encouraged to use the stage one guidance here to ensure their complaint is in the system ahead of any reference to the ombudsman,” it added.
Read more: Boots pensions dispute: PDA launches ‘first stage’ of formal complaints process
“It is essential to submit a stage one complaint by Thursday December 5 2024 to ensure the PDA’s assistance,” it said.
The PDA stressed that it was “very important to meet this deadline” as “pharmacists who have not submitted a stage one complaint by December 5 are not guaranteed to be covered by the ombudsman’s decision”.
C+D approached Boots for comment.
Boots balloting
Meanwhile, balloting opened last week for Boots Pharmacists' Association (BPA) members to vote on plans to merge the union with the PDA.
BPA members have three weeks to vote on the proposals, which would see them absorbed into the PDA on January 1 2025.
Read more: PDA ‘investigating’ concerns over Boots pensions buyout
In 2018, Boots pharmacists voted to “derecognise” Boots’ own union – the BPA – “enabling a second ballot in 2019 to recognise the PDA Union”.
The 2018 vote to derecognise the BPA was the “first time [the] process has ever been undertaken in the UK”, the PDA Union claimed at the time.
C+D today revealed that the multiple has “immediately corrected” an advertised locum rate of just £11 an hour, after pharmacists on social media warned that low rates would see pharmacists “coming to a foodbank near you soon”.
