Deborah Franks

Having been at the PDA for over three years, my role as the Senior Employment and Litigation Solicitor has increased with the growth of the organisation. In addition to my regular employment tribunal caseload, my work has included a Judicial Review of the GPhC Standards, hearings at the Court of Appeal and the Central Arbitration Committee as part of the union's ongoing battle with Boots to achieve union recognition for its pharmacists. After 8 years hard work, the union is now at the stage of the recognition ballot. With a team of four solicitors and five paralegals, our work in supporting the employment rights and defending pharmacists' rights at all levels has become more important with the burgeoning responsibilities pharmacists have in the NHS and large pharmacies like Boots, Lloyds and those within supermarket chains.