FED-UP nurses have launched a petition calling on the health board to pay bank shift staff their wages on time.

More than 2,000 people have backed the petition which claims nursing staff working bank shifts are left underpaid or often not paid at all.

The bank shift system allows nursing staff employed by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board to do extra shifts.

Staff should receive their payment for bank shifts on a Friday and the petition states that the current payment system isn’t working.

The petition said: “Those who do bank shifts in our NHS are required to have their shifts signed-off by the designated ward staff. This has to be done every Friday by 12pm to ensure payment for the following Friday.

“There has been a constant and persistent problem with this method. Frequently shifts are not being signed-off on time by the designated ward staff.

"This results in the individual not being paid for the shift the following week. This creates financial difficulties and hardships for bank staff as each coming Friday becomes a lottery as to whether you will be sufficiently paid for your previous week’s work.”

One nurse said: “Pleas and complaints to management have fallen on deaf ears. There is a complete lack of empathy and understanding from management who think it is acceptable for staff to be left underpaid and often penniless because of their failed payment system.”

A spokesman for the health board told our sister paper, the Evening Times: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde runs a very successful nursing and midwifery bank with over 10,000 members. The bank offers staff a very flexible approach to working shifts. NHSGGC values the contribution made by all of our nurse bank workers and we could not provide our services without their commitment and dedication.

"Each week NHSGGC fills between 6,000-7,000 nursing bank shifts. These need to be signed off by a local manager to be processed the following week.

"Of these shifts, regrettably there can be a delay of payment by one week for a small number of shifts, around 50 per week. This number continues to reduce. We are working with local management teams to ensure all shifts payments are paid promptly.”

The petition can be viewed here.