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Nurses in Isle of Man to vote on whether to accept 4% pay offer

RCN has been demanding a rise of 15% and depending on the result may hold further votes on nurses’ willingness to take industrial action
Picture shows a view of Douglas harbour in the Isle of Man

RCN has been demanding a rise of 15% and depending on the result may hold further votes on nurses’ willingness to take industrial action

Picture shows a view of Douglas harbour in the Isle of Man
Douglas harbour in the Isle of Man Picture: iStock

Nurses in the Isle of Man are to be balloted on whether they will accept a 4% pay offer after months of campaigning for fairer pay.

The RCN is urging nurses on the island to have their say in a consultative ballot, which will inform the college of nurses’ willingness to accept the pay offer. Depending on the results, further ballots could be held to determine their appetite for industrial action.

The college has been campaigning for a 15% pay increase since May 2021 for all nurses who work for Manx Care, the island’s health and social care provider. Manx Care initially offered a 1% pay increase for 2021-22.

RCN senior regional officer for the Isle of Man Mary-Anne Parkinson urged nurses to respond to the ballot. ‘We need to make a stand for the good of the profession. If nurses do nothing, nothing will change. We won’t stand still on this pay offer – we are fighting for a fair pay offer,’ she said.

Consultative ballot will run from 1 to 17 March, with RCN members contacted directly with details

Chair of the RCN northwest regional board Carmel O’Boyle said the increased pay offer is encouraging but it is still a long way off the pay rise that nurses deserve.

‘Staff have seen their cost of living soar and demand on services increase with inadequate staffing levels in place,’ she said. ‘We should not be in a situation where nurses are overworked and burnt out. It is unsafe to operate such major services with such poor staffing levels.’

The consultative ballot will run from 1 to 17 March. RCN members will be contacted directly with details on how to vote.

A Manx Care spokesperson said it has worked with unions to try to agree on a pay increase and is pleased to be able offer a rise of 4%, which is higher than the original 1% offer.

The spokesperson said: ‘We believe that the Isle of Man is an attractive place for healthcare workers to live and enjoy a career, and recognise that we do offer a positive pay differential between here and the UK. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff-side colleagues for their contribution to the pay negotiation talks over the past nine months.’

What is happening with the current pay offer elsewhere in the UK?

An RCN England and Wales indicative ballot revealed half of nurses who took part would be willing to take strike action over the 3% pay offer for 2021-22, with 84% saying they were willing to take industrial action short of a strike.

Nurses in Scotland have said they are prepared to strike over their 4% pay offer for the same year, with 60% of RCN Scotland members who voted in an indicative ballot supporting strike action.

In Northern Ireland an RCN ballot showed that 92% of members did not want to accept an offer of 3% made by the Health Service Executive. The college is currently consulting members on action.


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