Tribunal hears competing accounts of RCN support for nurses

Verified facts: Jennifer Melle, a nurse involved in a dispute over pronoun use, told the employment tribunal hearing Sandie Peggie’s case that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) failed to help her when she needed it most. Melle said she was investigated after a patient became abusive when she used what she described as a “biological pronoun”, and that she later faced an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. She described the period as the most critical of her career and said she experienced sleepless nights and panic attacks.

Melle said the RCN took days or weeks to respond and that being asked to write a reflection felt like further punishment. During cross-examination, RCN counsel David Hay KC said representatives had contacted her about the options available and had not ruled out legal assistance. Melle maintained that the union had neglected the urgency of her case.

The tribunal also heard evidence from Bethany Hutchison, who alleged that the RCN had abandoned members, particularly female members. RCN representative Stuart Fraser denied handling Peggie’s case on the assumption that she was the aggressor and Dr Beth Upton the victim. He also said he understood at the time that transgender people could use facilities matching their gender identity.

Interpretation: The evidence presents a dispute not only over the RCN’s position on sex, gender and workplace facilities, but also over what level and timing of union support members were entitled to expect. Melle’s account suggests that delayed or limited assistance intensified her distress, while the RCN’s response frames the matter as one in which contact and possible assistance did occur. The hearing does not, on the supplied evidence, resolve which account is accurate.

The Peggie tribunal, before employment judge Melanie Sangster in Dundee, was continuing when the report was published.