Union rejects 3% public sector worker pay offer

Members of the union Unite rejected the 3% rise

A 3% pay offer for public sector workers on the Isle of Man has been rejected by a union and the dispute will now go to independent arbitration.

The offer by the Public Service Commission (PSP) for 2025-26 included an increase in annual leave from 28 to 30 days for staff employed for 10 years or more.

A ballot of Unite members saw 57% reject the offer, with the union calling for a sliding scale of rises to favour lower paid workers instead.

PSP chairman Rob Callister said it was "disappointing" the offer, which was accepted by Prospect, had been rejected by Unite, meaning the dispute was "unlikely" to be resolved in current calendar year.

The latest offer follows an agreement in April for a 4% rise for 2024-25 the financial year.

'Sit up and listen'

The offers apply to workers across government, including civil servants, education support staff and manual and craft workers.

Debbie Halsall from Unite said wages for the highest paid had increased significantly, while the bottom and middle earners were "still in detriment financially".

She said the union was also calling for the lowest paid workers to receive a minimum of £15 an hour, which would prevent them claiming Employed Persons Allowance and result in savings in social security benefits.

Ms Halsall said 77% of staff under the PSP were paid £46,000 or less a year, with members "living pay cheque to pay cheque".

"The membership are struggling, there is a cost of living crisis here," she said, adding: "The Isle of Man government need to sit up and listen to what the frontline workers are saying."

Callister said both unions had "raised some very serious issues that need to be resolved", but they were complex and needed to be looked at in detail.

He said wanted to "get through the pay negotiations from last year and this year to allow sufficient time" to review the overall model in more detail.