The 124th Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) conference has heard of an increase in affiliated membership over the past year, boosted by the announcement that the PDA Union, representing 32,000 pharmacists across the UK, has affiliated with the trade union umbrella organisation for Scotland.

The PDA Union has affiliated with the STUC, adding the voices of 2,500 PDA members to the combined voice of Scotland’s workers. The PDA Union’s affiliation will commence immediately and will amplify the voice at work of employed and locum pharmacists in Scotland.

The STUC represents over 540,000 trade unionists, the members of 40 affiliated trade unions and 20 Trades Union Councils. They speak for trade union members in and out of work, in the community and in the workplace, in all occupational sectors and across Scotland.STUC representative structures ensure that they can speak with authority for the interests of women workers, black workers, young workers, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers and other groups of trade unionists that otherwise suffer discrimination in the workplace and in society.

STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said:

“We are delighted that the PDA Union has affiliated to the STUC.  Pharmacists have been on the front line during the pandemic, delivering vital services in this challenging period. Their joining with us is further confirmation that there are no no-go areas for trade unions in representing every job and profession in Scotland. We really look forward to working with the PDA in the period ahead, to support their members’ priorities.

PDA Director Paul Day said:

“Our 2,500 members in Scotland will undoubtedly benefit from our union being part of the STUC. We are a relatively new union and over the last 12 years have organised pharmacist professionals in both the public and private sector to have a stronger voice at work, to further the equality agenda, improve safety for patients and employees, start to restore rates of pay which have been subject to real-term cuts over recent years and rebalance the influence private-sector employers have over pharmacy policy. With many pharmacists practising in local pharmacies, in the heart of Scotland’s communities, we are proud that more and more of these key workers are also trade union members.”   

The PDA Union is already affiliated with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), the General Federations of Trade Unions (GFTU) and EPhEU, the European federation of pharmacist trade unions. Trade unions affiliate with federations to work collectively with those representing other groups of workers, while retaining their independence, just as individuals join their professions’ trade union to achieve more through collective action than they can achieve on their own.

For more information about the PDA Union, visit: www.the-pda.org/pda-union.