The Kirkcaldy nurse suing NHS Fife over her suspension following a trans changing room row has launched legal action against her own trade union.
Sandie Peggie is already embroiled in a tribunal with her employer after she told trans doctor Beth Upton she felt uncomfortable at the two sharing a women’s locker room.
Now she is suing the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) over claims the medical union has failed to help in her lengthy legal battle against NHS Fife.
The decision comes just days after Ms Peggie’s lawyer wrote to the RCN asking if bosses had written to Fife health board about the importance of single-sex spaces.
The letter states Ms Peggie had felt “disappointment” at the trade union’s apparent lack of support.
It’s understood the Victoria Hospital A&E nurse first requested support from the RCN in early 2024, shortly after the changing room altercation.
Sex Matters, a gender critical charity, claimed trade unions across Britain had done little to help female members fighting for single-sex spaces.
‘Wake-up call’
Helen Joyce, the charity’s director, said: “Unions right across the economy have shamelessly abandoned members who’ve been penalised for asserting their right to single-sex spaces at work.
‘Sandie Peggie’s decision to sue RCN should be a wake-up call for every union representing employees who need single sex facilities for their basic privacy and dignity.”
Ms Peggie and Dr Upton both gave evidence to the Dundee employment tribunal during the first two weeks of hearings in February.
The hugely controversial case has sparked national headlines and caught the attention of celebrities like Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
The tribunal is set to reconvene in July.
The next round of hearings will come against the backdrop of the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the equality act refer to biological women.
NHS Fife was told to admit defeat in the tribunal following the court’s judgement.
Earlier this month we reported that the health board had failed in its bid to ban the public from watching the hearing online.
The RCN has been contacted for comment.
