Manx Care nurses vote in support of strike action in pay dispute

Nurses took part in two ballots, both of which closed on 21 June

Nurses on the Isle of Man have voted to support taking strike action in a dispute over pay.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said about 46% of the 550 union members working for Manx Care took part in the vote.

It said 80% of those who responded supported industrial action.

Manx Care and the Department of Health and Social Care have been contacted for a response.

RCN regional director Estephanie Dunn said the result sent a "strong message" about the way nurses wanted to proceed with their campaign for "fair pay".

She said the conclusion of the pay dispute needed "to involve paying our nurses on the Isle of Man fairly for the highly-skilled care they deliver".

'Extortionate agency bills'

The ballot followed the rejection in March of Manx Care's offer of a £300 one-off payment and a 2% pay increase on top of a 4% rise applied in October 2022.

The union said a separate vote on a "last-minute" offer to increase the one-off payment to £1,000 for 2022-23 had also been rejected by 73% of members.

Ms Dunn said the government needed "to support Manx Care to build a stronger and more consistent workforce for the future".

"Just plugging the gap by paying extortionate agency bills isn't sustainable," she said.

No dates for any possible strike action have been set yet, and further meetings with Isle of Man RCN boards will now take place to discuss the outcome of the ballot.