Isle of Man civil servants on all pay grades get 6% wage hike

Staff on all pay grades will receive the increase, which will be backdated to April

Isle of Man civil servants, education support staff and manual and craft workers will receive a 6% salary uplift, the Manx government has said.

The pay award for the 2022-2023 financial year will cover staff on all grades who fall under the Public Services Commission.

The increase will also be backdated to April this year.

Mick Hewer of Prospect said though the deal had been accepted, it represented "another below inflation" rise.

In a ballot, 72% of the union's members employed under the Public Services Commission (PSC) voted to back the deal, with about 1,200 due to benefit from the change.

However, Mr Hewer said some members had felt it had been presented as a "take it or leave it" offer.

The proposal was accepted because "they need the money sooner rather than later", and many could not afford wait for any potential arbitration process to be resolved.

Unite the Union, which negotiates alongside Prospect with the PSC, reported 54% of its membership who were balloted backed the proposal.

But regional officer Debbie Halsall echoed Mr Hewer's concerns about the negotiations, and said the rise should have been applied on a "sliding scale" to see the lowest paid given greater uplifts.

She said the 6% figure was presented in September as a "final offer" following a previous 4% proposal, which was rejected by both unions earlier in the year.

The government has been contacted for a response.