Boots The Chemist

Boots the Chemist (BTC) are good if you are a customer (most of the time), terrible if they are your employers (nearly all of the time).

I worked for BTC for two years, firstly on the Isle of Wight, and then Portsmouth before I resigned.

On the Isle of Wight I was supposed to be paid an "island allowance" to make up for living on the isle and it's higher living expenses. I started work there in June 2004, and the allowance was approved early in the financial year (April 2004) to be paid from when I started working, it was February 2005 before I received it after numerous calls, and promises from BTC "It will be paid next month". I was expected to work extra hours (because of staff shortages)without any pay, just time-in-lieu (TIL) which was always a fight to get - as though I was cheating the company. In my final week on the Isle I worked extra hours (as a "punishment" for leaving the isle and a worsening pharmacist shortage I wasn't given an extra pharmacist to have a lunch break) without any means of compensation, as I wouldn't be able to transfer any TIL between areas.

Then we moved to Portsmouth, where I thought the suitation would be different, was I wrong. Still a pharmacist shortage and BTC unwilling to pay for any extra work, which was a direct consequence of the pharmacist shortage. My Group Pharmacy Manager (GPM) told me in the first week that there will be no TIL accurable, yet soon after starting I was asked to work a 10 hour day (my paid salary hours are 7.5 per day) because of a lack of pharmacists. On this same occasion my GPM told me that as I would have to stay in the pharmacy all day (a legal requirement - that a pharmacist must be present when the pharmacy is open and selling certain medicines and giving out prescriptions)and hence I could grab a sandwich/drink from the store lunchbar and eat it in the dispensary when quiet, while checking prescriptions etc. I have done this (helped myself to a sandwich/drink when sole pharmacist, and overriding it to zero on the till), when working as sole pharmacist.

Reguarly I submitted my TIL accurement sheet, and I received time of work when my GPM could allow it according to staffing, or requests by myself.

Then on 23rd March 2006 I was called into the managers office, with a Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) from head office in Nottingham and my GPM present as a witness for BTC, whereupon I was accused of stealing from BTC - namely sandwiches/drinks on days I was a sole pharmacist, as the transactions (overriden to zero £) were showing up on a fraud report. I stated they had been sanctioned by my GPM to allow for not being able to leave the shop from 8am to 6:10pm on those days. This was denied by my GPM, so I was questioned further and put under intense pressure (my wife was in hospital at the time, and I ended up in Hospital that afternoon due to intense stress), after about an hour I was told there would be no further investigation - even though my GPM was still denying telling me to get a sandwich.

Afterwards other staff members came foward to say that they heard my GPM tell me to grab a sandwich free of charge, therefore confirming my statement given to the LPO.

Subsequently I resigned giving my 8 weeks notice. I was off 3 weeks while I recovered from the interview/investigation process.

I then put in a formal grievence, which not acted upon for 3 weeks, and only after I had chased it up to see where it was going. I did have my grievence hearing to complain about my GPM, they said they would investigate but WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TELL ME THE OUTCOME, as any investigation by BTC into my GPM would be a private matter between the two parties namley BTC and my GPM, and I wouldn't be previlage to it even though I had initiated it. I felt that the grievence procedure was a waste of time on my part - how would I know if anything was even actioned.

In the meantime my GPM, who I had put a grievence in about, was determining my final TIL accurement. In a meeting with her, she said I owed BTC the 2.5 hours, according to my calculations BTC owed me 20 hours - quite a difference. She said she would look into it and get email me that afternoon, one week later I received a revised TIL accurement saying BTC owed me 10 hours with a breakdown of hours I had worked/been given time off since starting in Portsmouth. There were many days where I worked as a sole pharmacist (additional 2.5 hours TIL accurement)where I was not acknowledged as working the extra 2.5 hours, so I emailed back stating so, eventually on my last day I received an email saying I hadn't worked as a sole pharmacist and had only worked 7.5 hours on the days in question, I now had no opportunity of chasing it up and contacting the pharmacists I was supposed to have worked with.

After numerous weeks and emails, and bringing up what proof I could muster from outside the company, it was acknowleged by my old GPM that I had worked the extra hours and I would get paid for them, but boy did I have to work really hard to get them.
What annoys me is most of the disputed TIL's occured in August 2005 (when many pharmacists were on holiday, and some fell sick) and I submitted my TIL sheet in September 2005, and I have had TIL given to me as time off work from my submitted TIL sheets, but it wasn't disputed then when it was fresh in my mind and easily proveable. Only after I had resigned and many months after the TIL days I had claimed was my whole TIL sheets ignored that I had submitted since Mar 2005, and many days of working extra ignored, hence me owing BTC time according to my GPM.

After all this, I have never had an apology from BTC, or my GPM for lying to the BTC Loss Prevention Officer. An apology for the stress it has put me through, an apology or compensation for the expense of moving (I was offered a job in an adjacent area not under the control of my GPM - but it would involve a ferry and bus trip to get to work, and I would still be working for BTC). An apology for trying to defraud me of TIL or payment for TIL. Every step of the way I have been deffered and obstacles put in my way, in my search for justice, I think this is designed in the hope you will give up.

BTC treats its staff like thieves - random searches (including taking off shoes etc), no money/credit cards/store cards etc on your person at work - but in reality it is BTC that are the thieves - of it's employees time and wages.

What are you doing in this country ?

"What are you doing in this country ?"
No, I don't mean please leave our country and go back to NZ.
"I mean ... are you mad ... leaving NZ ... for this!"

Whether it's chatting to the checkout operator at Tesco's, talking to (local) government official, meeting people socially; After you have told them you are from New Zealand, their first question is:

Why did you want to leave New Zealand to come and live here?

Well there was that nasty incident with the sheep!

No seriously, that's a good question ... the answer is we wanted to explore the world, see places and events unaccesible to us downunder. See some history (NZ is such a young country, Maoris arrived in 10th-12th century or thereabouts, but not much remains of their early existence, and the Europeans first arrived in the late 18th century) and great buildings.

But the English people think we are mad to leave such a beautiful country/lifestyle like New Zealand to come to England. Most English want to leave England and move to New Zealand (or France or Spain or Australia or ... anywhere but the UK for that matter.)

Yes, New Zealand is a beautiful country with a good lifestyle, cheaper housing and a better standard of living.
Yes, the weather in England is "interesting", a good house costs a fortune (especially if you weren't on that rung before the prices rocketed), the government taxes you to death (and beyond). You have Tony Blair (at least for a bit longer).

But on the plus side, there is so much to see and do in the UK. So much history compared with NZ. It's cheap to go travelling across to Europe.

So, yes we are in England. No we are not mad.

Hello and Welcome

Hello, we are two New Zealanders (Kiwis) living in England, Hamphshire to be precise. No preciser - we don't know if any identity thiefs are reading this.
The English we met, think we are mad wanting to move here, but hey maybe we are! Perhaps it helps to be slightly mad to live here!

We are over here on a Work Visa, the sector I work in has a shortage of employees, so imigrants with the relevant qualifications can come and live here (for three years initially).

Why?
Well New Zealand is a long way away from anything (24 hours non-stop by plane, and there's no shortcut) and not close to much (except Australia) so we came over here to sight-see, do some travelling around Europe, experience new sights and sounds.

My ancestors come from Scotland 120 years ago to seek out a new existence and better quality of life in NZ.
So in some ways we have come full circle, although one day we will return to New Zealand.

So this is our Blog, I hope you enjoy it and pop in every now and then and have a laugh (not much to laugh at in this first, serious, one) .