GLASGOW. JB Russell House, Gartnavel Campus, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0XH<br /><br />District nurses in Glasgow rally over grades and pay as health board meets.<br /><br />District nurses in Glasgow rally today as strikes over grades and pay loom.<br />The demonstration outside a meeting of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, led by GMB Scotland and other unions, comes after district nurses voiced overwhelming support for industrial action over delayed job evaluations.<br />They are currently on Band 6 of the Agenda for Change pay scale but believe their skills, expertise and responsibilities justify a higher grade.<br /><br />The unions have lodged a formal grievance with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde claiming the long delays to the job evaluation process, which started in 2022, cannot be justified.<br />GMB Scotland’s consultative ballot of members revealed 100% support for industrial action if there is no swift resolution.<br />Karen Leonard, GMB organiser in NHS Scotland, said: “Our members fully engaged with the process of job evaluation in good faith but that faith has not been justified.<br />“Their skills, qualifications and responsibilities have increased over the last decade to meet the complex needs of patients now living in our communities and only want their changing role to be properly recognised and fairly rewarded.<br />“This process has dragged on for year after year when consensus on the way forward has been reached on a number of occasions only for the goalposts to be moved.<br />“After so many false starts and needless delays, the nurses’ patience has been stretched to breaking point.<br />“They only want to nurse but are being driven towards industrial action by a needlessly protracted process that has left them demoralised but determined to resolve this issue.”<br />
