The recent heatwaves revealed how ill-prepared Britain remains for a hotter future – and how unequal the ability to cope with it has become, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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A wake-up call for the trade union movement
The Sandie Peggie v NHS Fife tribunal shows unions need to get up to speed with where the law stands on the requirement for workplaces to provide single-sex spaces, writes JANE McLENACHAN
Sandie Peggie, a nurse at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, arrives at an employment tribunal in Dundee, February 7 2025
Extreme heat is now one of the defining public health challenges of a warming world, explains Prof IAN WILLIAMS
The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has had far-reaching consequences, including a boost to Pakistan’s regional standing, argues ROGER McKENZIE
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Kate Clark pays tribute to Ricardo, whose life spanned the hopes of Allende’s Chile, the horrors of military dictatorship and decades of campaigning for justice in exile
Keir Starmer's early political life suggests a very different future from the one he ultimately embraced, says KEITH FLETT
After the dismissal of union representatives and years of precarious working conditions, Kimpton Clocktower workers are drawing a line, writes THOMAS BELL
EMPLOYMENT tribunals rarely create waves. But the case of Mrs S Peggie v NHS Fife and Dr Upton is holding both political parties and public bodies to account while forcing a reality check on the trade union movement.
Sandie Peggie’s claim against NHS Fife is for sexual harassment, belief discrimination and victimisation. A nurse with 30 years’ service, she objected to sharing a female changing room at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy with a male doctor who identifies as a woman. Her employer’s policy meant her single-sex changing room was now mixed sex.
She raised her concerns with her line manager before an incident one night when she expressed her discomfort directly to Dr Upton. He complained, resulting in her investigation for misconduct and suspension. The class power dynamic of the situation is difficult to overlook.
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