Amid speculations that the American owner of LloydsPharmacy has been exploring a sale of the multiple, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association has reassured its pharmacist members that they would be supported through any changes that could emerge from a potential sale.
Sky News on Tuesday (Feb 16) reported that McKesson group was in talks to sell the chain “amid warnings about the industry’s future financial viability”.
It said “bankers at Barclays were working with McKesson on a disposal of the business and had begun contacting prospective bidders in recent weeks.”
The PDA Union only recently secured trade union recognition rights at the company and is in the process of establishing it’s network of union representatives across the business.
Paul Day, PDA director, said: “Whatever the future brings for the LloydsPharmacy business the PDA Union will continue to act in the interests of our members and will be supporting them to exercise their rights at work.”
The PDA understands that should any commercial negotiations occur to sell the business they would likely be subject to confidentiality arrangements.
However, the union would expect the company to be open and transparent with its employees and to communicate with them as soon as they are able to do so, and to keep their recognised union representatives informed.
Day added: “Our members will be understandably concerned about these media reports, however we can say that whoever owns the business and whatever shape or structure it has in future, the PDA will be there for our members.
“We are already hearing from some pharmacists who are worried by what they are seeing in the media and we will be keeping members advised if and when this situation progresses.”
