Guild & APESMA stand united on awards dispute

Last week, industrial officers from both APESMA and the Guild jointly presented a submission to the commission advocating that community pharmacy retain a separate industrial award.

This follows a ruling from the AIRC in June to group community pharmacy with the retail industry under a new federal awards system despite strong opposition from both the Guild and pharmacy unions APESMA and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA).

President of the Pharmacist Division of APESMA, Geoff March, acknowledged the hard work of industrial officers from both organisations to produce this new submission.

"This is an example of the collaboration that can occur between the various organisations for the common good of pharmacy. This submission has been developed using the expertise of our respective industrial officers to produce, what I believe, is a sound industrially based argument for retaining a separate award."

Dr March said it was noteworthy that APESMA is dealing with a wide range of awards covering many professions in the award modernisation process, but pharmacy is the only one where an objection has been lodged with the AIRC.

"This is new ground for all parties; APESMA, the Guild and the AIRC itself. We are hopeful of a positive outcome."

Dr March also said that the Pharmacist Division of APESMA was a little surprised by the recently reported remarks by the Guild president Kos Sclavos intimating that the Guild was the only organisation that was pushing for a separate award. 

"All community pharmacists can be assured that APESMA and the Guild are as one on this matter," he said.