Doctors in Isle of Man vote in favour of industrial action for very first time over pay

95% of doctors who took part in the ballot have voted in favour of industrial action. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

Doctors in the Isle of Man have voted in favour of industrial action for the very first time, in an ongoing dispute over pay.

A total of 121 of the 127 doctors voted yes in the ballot, calling on Manx Care for a 12.6% uplift in pay.

The British Medical Association (BMA) say doctors have experienced 'real terms pay cuts' since 2008, with some as much as 19%.

Since 2008, inflation on the island has increased by 56.3% while the maximum consultant’s salary increased by just 27.3% over the same period.

In October this year, the BMA found only 15% of those who took part would recommend the Island's main healthcare provider Manx Care, as a good place to work.

Of those who responded, only 9% felt they were being heard , while 81% disagreed with the statement 'Manx Care has a positive culture'.

The healthcare service, which launched in 2021, says it is working with doctors to resolve their differences.

Despite a series of meetings between BMA representatives and Manx Care, a deal has not yet been reached.

Island's doctors claim health service is 'poor place to work'
Manx Care believe doctors deserve a 'fair pay rise', but must also remain within their budget.

Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society, Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, said: “We’ve now got a clear mandate from our members that Manx Care cannot ignore.

"I hope we can still avoid strike action, and that Manx Care will now come to us in good faith to find a solution that values the work we do. Doctors want to give patients the best possible care and that’s achieved by improving the working lives of doctors and the first step towards such improvement is reduction of the years of pay erosion we have suffered."

Professor Phil Banfield, Chair of council at the BMA, said: "Doctors on the Isle of Man are overworked, underpaid and overlooked. These doctors deserve to be treated with fairness and respect. Their resident, consultant and SAS colleagues across the UK have fought for, and won, pay uplifts as their first step on a journey to restoring the lost value of their pay.

"Doctors on the Isle of Man deserve the same. The BMA has organised and supported this ballot at the request of its members, and we will continue to support Manx doctors in fighting for appropriate recognition of their skills and expertise they bring to the Island’s patients."

Responding the results of the survey, Manx Care said: "We recognise the invaluable contribution of our doctors, and believe they deserve a fair pay rise. However, we must manage our finances and stay within our budget.

"For the next year Government has been clear that there will be no additional funding beyond what has already been allocated. Spending more than what has been allocated for pay rises would mean reallocating funding from other services, potentially leading to cuts or service reductions.

"Manx Care has negotiated within their budget and offered several solutions.

"We are pleased that Manx Care and the BMA continue to move forward with their negotiations, and are committed to further discussions early in the New Year.

"We respect the right of our workforce to take action, and the DHSC will work closely with Manx Care to support them to reduce harm and the impact to the public should the strikes go ahead."

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