Nurses on Isle of Man accept revised pay offer
Nurses on the Isle of Man have accepted an enhanced pay deal, meaning industrial action on the island has come to an end.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) voted in a ballot, which ended this week, to accept the latest pay deal from Manx Care – the island government’s arms-length health and social care service provider.
Of those eligible to vote, 71% of members chose to accept the revised pay offer, with 29% voting to reject. The overall turnout for the ballot was 50%.
“Our members deserve to be valued for the highly complex skills they possess and for the work they do”
Estephanie Dunn
This dispute over pay had led to two days of industrial action by nurses on the island.
Striking nurses at the time had warned that uncompetitive salaries for staff, alongside years of under-investment in services, was leading to more and more quitting for work elsewhere.
A number of previous pay offers from Manx care were rejected by RCN members, until the latest deal was brought to the table.
The enhanced pay deal includes a consolidated increase of £1,500 for all banded healthcare staff, on top of a 6% rise already implemented.
Estephanie Dunn, regional director for the RCN North West, said the union was pleased that the long-standing dispute had “finally reached a conclusion”.
However, she said that she was “saddened” that members had to resort to strike action to reach this point.
Ms Dunn said: “It now feels like an unnecessary disruption to what is already a very strained service, when this could have been resolved much more simply.
“Our members deserve to be valued for the highly complex skills they possess and for the work they do to uphold the health service and we stand by their decision to take the action they did.
“There is no doubt that our strike action prompted Manx Care to open talks.”
In a statement, Manx Care also said it was “pleased” that negotiations had been successful and that RCN members had accepted the offer.
“We acknowledge that this has been an unsettled time for many of our colleagues, and appreciate the open dialogue that has taken place with staff-side representatives throughout,” it added.
