It could be the first local dispute action since the 1980s with staff unhappy with the pay grading they receive.
17:58, 07 Oct 2025Updated 18:07, 07 Oct 2025
NHS nurses at a protest outside Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 2020.(Image: Getty Images)
Nurses in Glasgow who care for patients in their homes have voted overwhelmingly to strike in a row over pay grades.
UNISON said 96% of its members working as district nurses for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde backed walkouts — which could be the first local strike of its kind since the 1980s — unless a deal can be reached.
The nurses, who deliver vital care in communities across the city, say they’ve spent years waiting for a promised review of their job descriptions and pay banding.
They are currently on Band 6 of the NHS Agenda for Change scale, but the union says their increasingly complex and demanding roles should be reclassified to a higher band.
UNISON Scotland area organiser Henrietta Cameron said: “District nurses in Glasgow have had years of delays and they’ve had enough.
“These nurses are committed to caring for their patients out in the community, going on strike is the last thing they want to do.
The nurses work in the community(Image: Getty)
“But they are determined to get a fair deal. Staff just want to be paid fairly, senior managers must show these NHS staff the respect they deserve.”
Other health unions — including GMB Scotland, Unite and the Royal College of Nursing — are also consulting members on possible strike action.
UNISON is calling on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to re-evaluate district nurse roles, apply retrospective rebanding and provide back pay to affected staff.
The union, Scotland’s largest health union, represents more than 60,000 NHS workers including nurses, midwives, paramedics, call handlers, and hospital support staff.