Nursing union to ballot members over strike action

About 68% of union members took part in the vote, with 85% rejecting the deal

Nurses on the Isle of Man are to be balloted on whether they would support taking strike action.

It comes after the latest pay offer from Manx Care of a 2% pay increase on top of a 4% rise applied last October was rejected in March.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) represents about 550 members working for Manx Care.

RCN north west regional director Estephanie Dunn said the union's members "have decided that enough is enough".

In the latest vote, 85% of members who took part rejected the deal.

The proposed deal also contained an additional unconsolidated lump sum of £300.

'Intolerable conditions'

Members rejected the offer after months of talks with Manx Care.

The RCN and other nursing unions originally sought a 15% rise, with talks dating back almost two years.

Ms Dunn said as those negotiations had "not been successful", a ballot over strike action was "the last option open to us".

"Promises of a better future have never materialised and our members continue to struggle to make ends meet while working in intolerable conditions,” she added.

She said nursing had experienced years of pay cuts and workforce numbers were being used as a "mechanism to balance budgets".

The postal ballot will take place from the 1 to 21 June with any strike action to take place within six weeks of the ballot closing.

The BBC has contacted Manx Care for a response.