Pharmacy Daily | Union backs PSA’s 2023 pay goals

PHARMACIST union group, Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA), has backed the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's call for a base salary of $80,000 plus superannuation, for newly registered pharmacists by 2023.

The PSA outlined proposals to empower pharmacists to practise to their full scope, and to earn a starting salary comparable to their peers across other health professions in its Pharmacists in 2023: Roles and Remuneration report (PD 29 Jul).

Welcoming the PSA's vision, PPA President, Geoff March, noted remuneration had been in "dire decline" over the past decade, before recent increases to the Pharmacy Industry Award.

"We welcome the contribution of the PSA to refining roles and future remuneration levels," he said.

"We have discussed possible industry classification structures with the PSA and will continue to work collaboratively on pay and career progression."

The PPA's Community Pharmacists Employment and Remuneration Report 2018, found less than half of community pharmacists reported receiving a pay rise in the 12 months to Dec 2018, and for 40% of those that had, it was required under the award.

The union noted that the "gradual decline in community pharmacist rates of pay was finally reversing, with average growth of between 0.4% and 2.5% depending on a pharmacist's classification in 2018.

Speaking to Pharmacy Daily, PSA President, Dr Chris Freeman, said "we've had a focus around how poor remuneration actually is, but no one has taken the leadership role in articulating what the remuneration should actually be".

"We drew a line in the sand and said, 'this is where we believe pharmacist remuneration should be'; it's very hard to start to advocate for any change if we don't know where we're going.

"So this document takes that first step."

Under the PSA's vision pharmacists' salaries would increase based on their attainment of advanced practice qualifications and experience, with those achieving Advanced Practice Level Three and more than five years' experience earning a minimum of $140,000 excluding superannuation, or $67.05 per hour.