Two district nurses will take the first strike action in NHS Scotland for years after being locked into a seven-year battle with a health board over pay.
Shona Middleton and Cathy Fugaccia, employed by NHS Tayside, have accused their bosses of breaking a pay promise after they were deemed to be working at a higher level than they were being paid.
“We have our job to do but for years this issue has been a constant burden”
Cathy Fugaccia
GMB Scotland last week served formal notice that the nurses would strike on the first two days of April.
It is thought to be the first strike in NHS Scotland since the Scottish National Party (SNP) took power at Holyrood in 2007.
GMB Scotland claimed that NHS Tayside initially agreed that the nurses could be paid a higher salary, following a job review, but then backtracked.
The job review, held in 2018, found that the district nurses had more responsibilities, such as prescribing drugs, than colleagues elsewhere in the region and deserved to be on band 7 rather than band 6.
As per the current Agenda for Change pay scales in Scotland for 2024-25, staff in the middle of band 6 earn £41,670 while those on the middle of band 7 earn £50,651.
The two nurses have been battling to be awarded the higher grading and backdated pay.
Ms Middleton, who has been a district nurse in Monifeith for 28 years, said the struggle to have her regrading recognised had taken far too long and should not have been necessary.
“We’ve been given one explanation after another and the goalposts keep changing,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ms Fugaccia, who has been a district nurse since 1993, said: “We have our job to do but for years this issue has been a constant burden. It’s exhausting.”
First minister John Swinney has been urged to intervene before the nurses go in front of an employment tribunal later this month.
Through the tribunal, they will only be able to claim two years’ backdated pay instead of seven.
A letter to the SNP leader, signed by GPs in Angus, confirmed that the nurses had taken on a wider role on the understanding that their pay would rise in line with their additional responsibilities.
The GPs warned that if the Scottish Government refused to intervene, it could demoralise all NHS Scotland staff.
“The treatment of these skilled nurses by NHS Tayside has been and continues to be deplorable”
Karen Leonard
The letter added: “If our first minister stands by while this obvious injustice continues, what message does that send to those already working in our NHS and those considering a career in it?
“We write to seek your intervention to secure these nurses the fair pay they deserve.”
GMB has also written to all members of the NHS Tayside board, urging them to review the case.
Karen Leonard, the union’s NHS Scotland organiser, said: “The treatment of these skilled nurses by NHS Tayside has been and continues to be deplorable.
“These are women who have given their lives to the NHS and caring for patients and the absolutely last thing they want to do is strike.”
Ms Leonard argued that the nurses had been “left with no choice”.
She added: “Two committed nurses have been forced to fight for money that belongs to them while NHS Tayside repeatedly misrepresent the situation and promises made and broken.
“It is disgraceful that managers are using public money to dispute a clear injustice and force these women to a tribunal where they can only ever win a fraction of the money owed.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “We have received notice from GMB Scotland to advise us of the intention of two district nurses in Angus to take two days of industrial action from 1 April.
“We are disappointed to receive this correspondence and, along with colleagues from Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, we remain in active communication with the affected staff and their union representatives to try to resolve their outstanding issues.
“We are committed to achieving a resolution in partnership through our jointly-agreed processes.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We would urge all parties to work together to reach a resolution to this issue between NHS Tayside and the two district nurses concerned.
“Given that there are well-established independent processes designed to resolve such disputes, it would not be appropriate for ministers to be involved, although they continue to receive ongoing updates.”
