Trans row nurse Sandie Peggie loses discrimination case against union

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) did not discriminate against one of its members because of her gender beliefs, a tribunal has ruled. 

Sandie Peggie accused the union of failing to support her during a row with her employer NHS Fife.

She previously brought a case against NHS Fife after sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital in December 2023.

In December 2025, a separate tribunal awarded Ms Peggie a partial victory, upholding claims of harassment against her employer but dismissing allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation.

Her case against the RCN was heard at an employment tribunal in Dundee in September and October this year.

Ms Peggie accused the union of failing to advise her properly when she raised the changing room issue with one of the RCN's officers.

She alleged that the union had refused her request for legal assistance in relation to her claims against NHS Fife, and said it had failed to seek assurances from NHS Fife on its policies on single-sex spaces.

On Monday, all three of Ms Peggie's claims against the union were dismissed.

Employment Judge Melanie Sangster said: "The Tribunal concluded that the complaints of direct discrimination, to the extent that they were framed as being because of an asserted belief of the respondent, could not succeed."

Ms Peggie's lawyer Naomi Cunningham said the RCN was in the grip of "gender ideology" in her closing speech to the tribunal.

She claimed this made it impossible for its officers to act "vigorously" on the nurse's behalf.

A spokesperson for Ms Peggie said the judgment "makes worrying reading for all trade union members".

They went on: "It raises serious questions about the value of trade union membership if, when members report workplace concerns, the responsibility falls on them, rather than on experienced and trained union officers supported by internal and external legal teams, to identify the correct statutory basis for potential legal claims."

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An RCN spokesperson said: "The judgment is comprehensive and we welcome the decision that we did not discriminate against our member based on her protected beliefs.

"RCN staff followed agreed processes that apply to all members and we acted fairly and impartially.

"We are sorry these matters were aired before the Tribunal. The RCN is an anti-discrimination organisation, supporting all of its members."

(c) Sky News 2026: Trans row nurse Sandie Peggie loses discrimination case against union