Isle of Man nurses surveyed on latest pay offer after recent dispute

The latest Manx Care pay offer dates back to April 2023

Nurses on the Isle of Man are being surveyed on a new pay deal put forward by Manx Care.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members are being asked for their views about a 6% pay offer for 2023-24 over the next fortnight.

It comes after a two-year dispute over pay and conditions ended in November.

Estephanie Dunn from the union said she hoped a new deal would be found "much quicker" but also raised concerns over back-pay for former staff.

RCN members walked out twice last year before a deal was agreed.

For the 2022-23 pay year, 71% of RCN members who voted backed an offer of a £1,500 consolidated payment and a 6% pay hike, which brought the row to an end.

Ms Dunn said it felt "strange to be back out surveying members so soon after agreeing the last pay offer" but "we're still playing catch-up".

She said strike action has meant a "better resolution for all employees at Manx Care" and hoped to reach a "resolution on their pay much quicker" for 2023-2024.

'Uphill battle'

The union has also highlighted the offer did not include back-pay for staff who have left the employer.

An appeals process for individual cases has been set up by Manx Care, following a challenge by the islands joint trade unions, but staff must have continued to work bank shifts to be eligible.

Ms Dunn said the issue continued to be an "uphill battle" as "we're always behind with pay offers it means that there's staff who have worked the hours but have since left".

This makes them "ineligible to claim for the additional monies they should have had anyway, if the pay offer had been agreed at the start of the pay year".

Manx Care said it remained "committed to working in partnership with staff side representatives".

The consultation opened on Wednesday and closes on 14 February.

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