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FAQs on the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde indicative ballot on industrial action

We're asking district nurse members working at band 6 with the Speciality Practitioner Qualification in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to vote in an indicative ballot on industrial action.

Here are answers to common questions to help you understand what voting in the ballot means and why you should take part.

We're in dispute with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on behalf of Band 6 district nurses with the Specialist Practitioner Qualification. This is because they haven't evaluated Band 6 district nursing roles using the job description agreed in 2023.

So far, no jobs have been properly reviewed. We believe they’ve ignored the national process for job evaluation.

If you’re affected, we’re asking you to say what action you’d be willing to take. Industrial action short of strike action generally means taking all your breaks, starting and finishing on time and doing no overtime. Industrial action up to and including strike means going further and supporting strike action.

You don’t need an email to vote. You can vote online above. If you think you should have received the email, check your spam folders. If you haven’t received the email, please check we have the right email address for you.

Industrial action is a powerful tool as you and your labour are NHS Scotland’s most valuable asset.

Action short of strike – there is no definition of action short of a strike but generally, it means working strictly to the terms of your contract of employment often referred to as ‘working to rule.’ This can include taking all your contractual breaks and/or starting/finishing your shifts strictly on time and or/refusing to undertake paid or unpaid overtime. By working to rule, you are withdrawing the goodwill that your employer often relies on to carry out its business effectively. Therefore, action short of strike action can result in a disruption to an employer’s business if carried out by most of the workforce. This may place pressure on an employer or government to reconsider its position in any industrial or trade dispute.

Strike action – involves a complete withdrawal of labour from the workplace. This could be for half a day, a day or longer depending on the dispute. Strike action will almost certainly result in a disruption to an employer’s business and place greater pressure on an employer or government to reconsider its position in any dispute.

Patient safety - the RCN is committed to ensuring any industrial action has at its core the preservation of patient safety.  Any RCN industrial action will follow the life-preserving care model.  For more information check the 'Participating in industrial action' section of the RCN Industrial Action Handbook.

An indicative ballot asks members whether they personally would be willing, in principle, to take any form of industrial action. This ballot does not provide grounds to take industrial action. It is a way to understand how many members may be willing to take a form of industrial action. 

If enough members say they are willing to participate in some form of industrial action a statutory ballot may be the next step.

You are being asked to indicate if you would be willing to take industrial action short of strike action or to take strike action.

We need to understand the strength of feeling from members regarding the failure of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to progress the job evaluation request. The response from members will inform the next steps.

If there is significant support for industrial action, your RCN Scotland Board will consider proceeding to a statutory ballot. Industrial action is always a last resort. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has had many opportunities to do the right thing for its district nursing teams. 

If the outcome does not indicate sufficient support from members for industrial action, RCN Scotland will consider how best to progress in other ways.