Manx Care Nurses Reject Pay Offer

The survey saw 68 per cent of eligible Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members vote with 85 per cent rejecting the offer. It had been put to members following months of talks with Manx Care. A previous pay offer had also been rejected following a vote last July.  Members felt so strongly that they indicated that they would be willing to take industrial action over the matter. 

The new offer would have seen staff receive an additional unconsolidated lump sum of £300 in addition to the 4 per cent consolidated pay award (already paid) for 2021/22 and, for 2022/23, staff were being offered a further 2 per cent consolidated pay increase, in addition to the 4 per cent pay award which was applied to October 2022 salaries.  

Estephanie Dunn, Regional Director for the RCN in the North West, said: “Our members have spoken, with an overwhelming number of nurses voting to reject the pay offer because it is simply unacceptable. These results have given the RCN a clear mandate to act on their behalf.  

After a decade of real-term pay cuts, including Manx Care’s recent pay awards and offers, the terrible hardship nursing staff are enduring alongside challenging working conditions, shows no sign of easing. 

“I remain shocked and saddened that we are still at the point where we have had to negotiate for such a long time to get a decent and fair deal for a profession that is so valuable to the community on the Isle of Man but also, at a time when recruitment and retention of nurses is so urgent.”

The survey closed at 11.59pm on Wednesday 22 March 2023. The RCN will now review the outcome of the survey and establish the next steps.