Over ten years ago I read a report launched in 2013 by Britain's biggest union, Unite, the UK anti-poverty charity War on Want, and the Change to Win federation of US trade unions, with a call for Alliance Boots the parent company of UK high street chemist to disclose its tax returns and shine some light on its complex web of debt strategies.
Fast forward 10 years and not much has changed.
You don’t have to look very far to find out more on the subject, broadsheets in the UK, the Guardian and the Independent have covered the subject of tax avoidance and disgruntled employees, in particular pharmacists up in arms about poor working conditions and pay.
When I was younger Boots was the go to place to get everything chemist related particularly when going on holiday, sunscreen and travel accessories. It was hard to break the habit.
For 10 years I’ve done my best not to shop in Boots. The report out in 2013 published by Unite stated over 1.12 billion in UK tax had been avoided in the six years prior since Alliance Boots went public.
Three years later in 2016 the Guardian published this headline,
Britain’s biggest pharmacy used to be a family business, dedicated to serving society. Now, many of the company’s own staff believe that its relentless drive for profit is putting the public at risk.
And the story gained momentum with another two follow up articles in the Guardian highlighting the shocking exploitation of the private equity backed chain from whistleblowing staff.
12 months ago reports in the Telegraph said Seb James, Boots’ UK managing director, wrote to employees informing them of an end to home-working, as he promised to make the business “more effective” in advance of Boots being floated on the stock market.
The way I see it, this massive British household name has ripped us off, treated their staff poorly, put profit over the health and wellbeing of their customers and now the privately held group just want to float the business for a gazillion pounds.
Many might say one person cannot make a difference to a giant like Boots. Yet Boots Alliance is still trying to raise capital.
As of three days ago Walgreens in the US announced a 10 billion dollar deal to swallow up Alliance Boots with no published plans to make the operation any better.