Boots pharmacists - do you work on Sundays?

Dear <<First Name>>,

The PDA Union is aware of some Boots pharmacists who have been paid incorrectly for working on Sundays. We are supporting members individually to recover the money they are owed but are also concerned that others could unknowingly have similar issues and we have a duty to bring this to your attention. 

Please note that all Boots employed pharmacists are entitled to a premium pay rate on Sunday which is time and a half. If pharmacists are working on a Sunday as part of their contracted hours for that week, they will only receive an additional payment at half time, as single time will already be included in their basic pay. We are also aware that some pharmacists choose to accumulate the enhanced hourly rate for Sunday working as time in lieu to adjust their hours later in the working week. 

Some Boots members are telling us that instead of being paid at time and a half for Sundays, they have received single time through no fault of their own. Regrettably, when this has been brought to the attention of line managers there have been unacceptable delays in resolving the problem and pharmacists have been told that any backpay owed will be capped.   

Incorrectly applied rates of pay for Sunday working can negatively impact upon receiving the correct level of sick pay, holiday pay and create an underpayment of pension contributions; in some cases, this has the potential to run into many thousands of pounds in back pay and pension contributions. 

Action Required 

The PDA Union believe the reported attitude towards resolving a company created problem is unacceptable and advises pharmacists who work on a Sunday to take the following steps: 

• Inspect payslips to check that the correct rate of pay of time and a half is being applied for all work done on a Sunday or the appropriate amount of time in lieu is received 

• Bring any discrepancies to the attention of the line manager in writing and ask that this is resolved immediately and that all underpayments identified are returned promptly 

• Seek advice from the PDA if there are problems in getting put onto the correct rate of pay for Sunday work or if you are informed that any back pay owed to you will be capped. 
   

PDA Union Response 

The PDA Union team have raised the problem of incorrect Sunday payments directly with senior company representatives who have committed to identifying the source of the issue and addressing any problems identified. We are assured that operational changes are in progress and these include changing how Sunday pay is accounted for in MyTime and through updated managers guidance. 

A senior Boots manager has assured the PDA Union that the company is committed to correctly paying pharmacists for working on a Sunday and that any discrepancies that may have arisen are not intentional.  

It is unlawful for employers not to pay employees their contractual rate of pay or withhold other employee benefits rightly owed to them. Some Trade Unions use the term “Wage theft” to describe such underpayments. The PDA Union believes that payroll systems and processes must be sufficiently robust to prevent underpayments from happening in the first place and where errors have occurred that these are rectified promptly. PDA Union members employed at any pharmacy should let us know if they believe they have not been paid in accordance with their contract. 

PDA Union members can also access local support through the PDA Union network of representatives at Boots and details can be found here.

Not yet a member? Join us here.

Kind Regards 

PDA Union