Health visitor team leaders employed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) have formally notified their employer that they will take industrial action short of a strike over a dispute about job evaluation, trade unions said on Friday.
Unions say board ignored national process
The action, announced by RCN Scotland, Unison and Unite, follows what the unions describe as a failure by the health board to adhere to nationally agreed job evaluation processes. The move affects team leaders in a health visiting service covering children and families.
Union leaders said the action follows 12 months of unrest within NHSGGC and comes after other groups of staff in the board area have raised similar grievances about job evaluation, pay and banding. The action is limited to measures short of strike action at this stage.
Views from union representatives
“Our members have shown patience and willingness to resolve this dispute, however the direct actions of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde senior management have left them with no other options,”
said James O’Connell, regional officer for Unite. He added that members had been left disappointed to take industrial action, which they regarded as a last resort.
Philip Coghill, RCN Scotland head of pay, terms and conditions, said members did not want to take industrial action and remained committed to providing safe care, but felt “undervalued” and “demoralised”. He warned the board’s approach risked repeating problems seen in last year’s dispute involving district nurses.
Service impact and wider context
Health visiting teams focus on early years support for children and families. Although the unions say this action is not strike action, any sustained dispute over job evaluation and banding can place additional pressure on already stretched community services. Previous industrial action in the area has included strikes by other staff groups over similar issues.
The dispute is part of a broader pattern of tension between staff and employers across some parts of the NHS where job evaluation, pay banding and recognition of responsibilities have been contentious. Unions argue that adherence to nationally agreed processes is necessary to ensure consistency and fairness across health boards; employers have pointed to budgetary and operational pressures in managing pay structures.
- Who has given notice: RCN Scotland, Unison and Unite
- Employer: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- Nature of action: action short of strike over job evaluation
| Stakeholder | Position |
|---|---|
| Unions | Claim board failed to follow national job evaluation processes |
| NHSGGC | Board yet to be publicly reported as responding to the latest notice |
The unions have called on NHSGGC to rectify what they describe as a “blatant disregard” for agreed processes and to resolve the dispute without delay. The board has not been quoted in the available union statements; previous coverage of NHSGGC disputes has seen the board cite competing financial and operational challenges when responding to workforce demands.
Any escalation to full strike action would raise more acute concerns about continuity of community child health services. For now, leaders on both sides will face pressure to negotiate in order to avoid further disruption to families who rely on health visiting support during the early years.
As with prior NHS workforce disputes, the immediate impact will depend on how quickly constructive talks can be resumed and whether independent mediation or nationally agreed mechanisms can be used to resolve differences over job evaluation outcomes and consequent pay banding.
Further details about the exact measures planned by staff, and any response from NHSGGC, were not provided in the unions’ statements released with the formal notice.
