Nurse Sandie Peggie demands answers from nursing union over single-sex spaces row
Sandie Peggie is suing NHS Fife after sharing a female changing room with a transgender doctor.
A nurse suing NHS Fife after sharing a female changing room with a transgender doctor has demanded clarity from the nursing union about whether it raised concerns regarding single-sex spaces.
Sandie Peggie's solicitor sent a letter to the associate director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland, Norman Provan, calling for industrial intervention from the union on single-sex spaces.
It said Ms Peggie is 'surprised but nevertheless delighted' that on March 27, the union wrote to the director of workforce at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust telling them they were breaking the law by failing to provide single-sex changing rooms for staff, according to reports.
The English trust is facing similar litigation to NHS Fife, regarding nurses sharing a changing room with a transgender colleague, however Ms Peggie was not given industrial support when her case was raised in 2024, according to the letter.
Ms Peggie has taken the health board and Dr Beth Upton to tribunal, lodging a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under section 26 of the Equality Act 2010 regarding three incidents when they shared a changing room: indirect harassment, victimisation and whistleblowing.
The tribunal resumes in July.
The nurse was suspended on January 3, 2024, after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, the tribunal in Dundee heard earlier this year.
Ms Peggie has been a member of the RCN for 30 years and her solicitor Margaret Gribbon said the nurse is 'not asking the union to intervene in her ongoing litigation', which is not supported by it.
The letter said Ms Peggie had been signed off with stress from February 2025, the same month the tribunal began.
It said: 'As you are aware, Sandie was suspended by the board in early 2024, subject to a year-long disciplinary investigation and is to face a disciplinary hearing to answer allegations of 'gross misconduct', mainly because she objected to the board's decision to permit a trans-identifying male colleague access to a female-only workplace changing room.
'Since February 2025 Sandie has been absent from work suffering from stress. The board has recently been advised that before Sandie can even consider returning to work, she needs assurances that no male colleagues, irrespective of their gender identity, will be permitted to use female-only workplace changing rooms. A response from the board is awaited.
'As the union is aware following my letter of February 13 2024, it is Sandie's understanding that the board did not consult with either the union or female staff about the decision and nor was the decision risk, or equality impact assessed (in breach of the public sector equality duty provisions in the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012).
'When we first spoke around mid-February 2024 I made clear Sandie's expectation that the union exercise its industrial muscle to challenge the decision which was adversely impacting her and other female union members.
'To Sandie's knowledge and disappointment, the union has made no attempt to resolve this matter industrially with the board.
'On April 16 2024, I wrote to the union highlighting, once again, the concerns of Sandie and other female colleagues about the decision. I stated that it was unclear why the board was not taking a common-sense approach to the matter by providing unisex changing room facilities. I asked the union to let me know if it intended to raise this matter with the board but received no reply.'
However the letter cited media reports about the RCN intervening at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, stating it 'expected the trust to abide by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 – and provide single-sex changing rooms without delay'.
The letter said: 'It appears the union was prompted to take these steps as a result of ongoing litigation against by a group of nurses who, like Sandie, claim their employer's decision to permit men into female-only changing rooms is unlawful discrimination and harassment in breach of the Equality Act 2010.'
Ms Gribbon said she is asking two questions on behalf of Ms Peggie: 'Has the union written to the board regarding the existence of the 1992 regulations, the board's present failure to comply, and the union's expectation that the board provides single-sex changing rooms without delay, ie has the union written to the board in the terms that it has written to the trust in the Darlington nurses' case?
'If not, does the union intend to do so in future?'
The Royal College of Nursing, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, and NHS Fife have been contacted for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Courier
8 hours ago
- The Courier
How a Kinross woman's beloved pet dog is inspiring bid to change law
A campaigning mum from Kinross hopes the memory of her much-loved dog will help change the law for people who need 'emotional support animals'. Elizabeth Crammond took up the challenge to change UK equalities law after sadly losing Daisy in March. The Yorkshire terrier, who joined the family in 2009, was a constant companion and helped Elizabeth cope with stressful situations. She has fybromialgia and other debilitating conditions, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The presence of her canine companion was a constant source of comfort after her own mother died from cancer in 2011. Daisy, classed as an emotional support animal with a doctor's note to prove it, would still be turned away from places including restaurants and public venues. 'After my mum passed away, Daisy was my emotional support,' Elizabeth told The Courier. 'She was the tiniest thing, she went everywhere with me to the point I lived my life around her. 'I was having a lot of anxiety and panic attacks, and that's where my fybromialgia would come in.' The condition flared up under stress, she says, causing even more anxiety about leaving the house and living a normal life. 'Daisy knew when an attack was coming and she would bring me back into the zone,' Elizabeth said. Daisy would even help support her own little daughter, now four, as she was growing up. Elizabeth, 42, who works in education, realised she would have to change the Equality Act 2010 to put support animals on the same footing as guide dogs. She's doing that by enlisting help from her local MP Pete Wishart and lodging a petition at Westminster to show UK-wide support. Elizabeth says the change of the law will also help people with unseen conditions, avoiding embarrassing situations in public places. Her petition – called Daisy Companion Law – is live on the Commons website.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nurses ramp up strikes threats with ballot over 'grotesque' above-inflation pay deal
Nurses will start voting today on what they have derided as the Government's 'grotesque' 3.6 per cent pay offer as they ramp up the threat of fresh strikes. Around 345,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing are being balloted on the latest pay award, which they have claimed will be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation '. Last month, the Labour Goverment accepted the recommendation of a pay review body to give nursing staff in England's NHS a pay rise of 3.6 per cent. The latest inflation figures showed the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate jumped by more than expected in April to 3.5 per cent. The RCN described the award as 'grotesque', while doctors, teachers, prison officers and the Armed Forces all received a bigger increase. An identical pay award for nurses was made in Wales, while in Northern Ireland, the health minister has announced his wish to also implement a 3.6 per cent rise. RCN members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being asked whether the pay award is enough, amid warnings of yet another industrial dispute. NHS workers, including nurses, staged a series of strikes under the previous Conservative government in bitter rows over pay. Speaking at an international nursing conference in Helsinki today, RCN general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger will say: 'I'm with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards. 'It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough.' The RCN said nursing staff in England have faced more than a decade of pay erosion since 2010/11, with pay down by a quarter in real terms. As a result, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the numbers quitting is 'skyrocketing', said the RCN. Professor Ranger will add: 'Over a decade of pay erosion has had a devastating impact on our profession, forcing increasing numbers into quitting while putting off the nurses of the future. 'When our members vote, they won't just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it's enough to turn our profession around.' As well as the threat of strikes by nurses, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is also battling the British Medical Association over the Government's offer of an average 5.4 per cent pay rise for junior doctors.
Glasgow Times
15 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Nurses to vote on pay deal amid concerns of industrial action
Around 345,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be asked if the pay award is enough in what was described as the biggest single vote of the profession ever launched in the UK. Last month, the Westminster government accepted the recommendation of the Pay Review Body, giving nursing staff In England's NHS a pay rise of 3.6%. Royal College of Nursing general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger (RCN/PA) The RCN described the award as 'grotesque', saying it will see nursing staff receive a pay rise 'entirely swallowed up by inflation' – with doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces all receiving a bigger increase. An identical award was made in Wales, while in Northern Ireland, the Health Minister has announced his wish to implement a 3.6% pay rise, but this is still to be agreed. The RCN said the vote will be crucial in determining the next steps, which could include a ballot for strike action. The vote will include RCN members working in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Speaking from an international nursing conference in Helsinki and on the launch of the vote, Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary, will say: 'I'm with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards. 'It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough.' The RCN said nursing staff in England have faced more than a decade of pay erosion since 2010/11, with pay down by a quarter in real terms. As a result, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the numbers quitting is 'skyrocketing', said the RCN. Professor Ranger will add: 'Over a decade of pay erosion has had a devastating impact on our profession, forcing increasing numbers into quitting while putting off the nurses of the future. 'When our members vote, they won't just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it's enough to turn our profession around.' NHS workers including nurses staged a series of strikes under the previous Conservative government in bitter disputes over pay.
