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Pharmacists At Walgreens Stage Walkout Complaining Unsafe Working Conditions
On Monday, Pharmacy staff at some Walgreens stores walked out after locking the gates. They complained about harsh and unsafe working conditions, due to which it is difficult to fill prescriptions for them. The nation?s second-largest retail pharmacy chain saw its stores shuttered or short-staffed on Monday.
The pharmacists were hundreds in number as they participated in the protest. The protest will last through Wednesday. Marty Maloney, the spokesperson of Walgreens, downplayed the impact of the walkout, citing it as ?minimal.? However, he denied specifying the number of stores closed and the number of staff involved.
Maloney also stated,
?A small number of our pharmacies are experiencing disruptions, and we apologize for any inconvenience. We are working to return these pharmacies to regular operations as quickly as possible. Nearly all of our 9,000 locations continue to serve our patients and customers.?
Last year, the American Pharmacists Association conducted a survey along with the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations. In the survey, they found that the pharmacy staff faced a lot of demands for prescriptions, shots, as well as other services. However, there were no sufficient staff and sufficiently trained staff to fulfill the orders. The survey also found that pharmacists face harassment and bullying from some patients.
According to the survey, pharmacy workers also complained about the focus of the management on making profits. Due to such incidents, pharmacy workers face constant disruptions in their workflow. Such disruptions prevent pharmacy workers from making decisions on the appropriateness of treatments for a particular patient.
Furthermore, when pharmacy workers complain to their managers, the complaints fall on deaf ears. The survey says that there are no open mechanisms for pharmacy workers to discuss their workplace issues with management and supervisors. If they try to discuss issues with the management, the latter do not welcome or listen to the discussions.
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