Isle of Man: Manx Care nurses to hold three more strikes

Nurses on the Isle of Man will hold three 12-hour strikes over pay starting next week, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed.

The union’s North West branch, which represents nurses on the self-governed island in the Irish Sea, suggested last month that further strikes were possible in the autumn, following an initial walk-out in July.

This week, the RCN has confirmed nurses working for Manx Care, the island’s health service organisation, will strike from 8am-8pm on Thursday, 14 September.

"[Nurses] are exhausted, over-worked and under-paid for the level of responsibility they have"

- Estephanie Dunn

They will then walk out again for 12 hours from 8am on Wednesday, 18 October, and Thursday, 19 October.

The dispute, much like those between the RCN and the UK Government, centres around pay.

Isle of Man RCN members rejected Manx Care’s most recent offer of an additional £1,000 consolidated rise for 2022-23, on top of the existing 6% which had already been implemented. This followed a 4% increase for the 2021-22 year.

RCN North West regional director Estephanie Dunn described the £1,000 offer as “an insult”, and said the RCN was open for negotiations with either Manx Care or the Isle of Man’s department of health, which funds the health service.

Manx Care employees on the July picket line said they were also hoping the strikes would raise the profile of what one nurse described as the “demise of the service”.

Ms Dunn said: “The nursing workforce has seen their cost-of-living soar and demand on services increase without adequate staffing levels in place.

“They are exhausted, over-worked and under-paid for the level of responsibility they have.

“The RCN has made it clear to both Manx Care and the government that opening negotiations and making meaningful offers can avert strike action. Until there is a significantly improved offer, we will be forced back to the picket line.”

Since the July strike, RCN members on the island continued to ask for further negotiations with either Manx Care or the government. Manx Care stated that its ability to offer a new deal was “limited” due to financial constraints.

In August, nurses staged a bus tour around the island visiting hospital sites to raise awareness of the industrial dispute.

A Manx Care spokesperson said, responding to the RCN’s announcement of further strikes, that it “respects and acknowledges” the right of nurses to take industrial action.

They added: “Equally, we are aware of the disruption that this will undoubtedly cause to patients, service users, members of the public and our colleagues who work to provide cover during the forthcoming strike periods.

“Manx Care remains open to dialogue with RCN members.

“However, our options remain limited due to our financial constraints and having exhausted our funding envelope.

“All funding that has been received by the organisation to be used for pay awards has already been used to fund pay awards. Given the current financial position that Manx Care faces, making any further pay offer at this point is not possible and Manx Care is seeking support from [the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care] to assist in resolving this matter.”

The pay deals and offers since 2021-22, according to Manx Care 

"In 2021-22, a 4% pay offer was made to all colleagues on Manx Pay Terms and Conditions (MPTC) or National Joint Council (NJC) Terms and Conditions, which includes nursing staff – this has been implemented despite this offer not yet having been accepted.

"In 2022-23, a 6% pay offer was made to the same staff groups – this too has already been implemented for colleagues despite the pay offer not having been agreed yet. In total across 2021-22 and 2022-23, this amounts to a 10% pay increase.

"On 20 April 2023 at Manx Care’s regular Partnership meeting with the unions, Manx Care offered an additional consolidated amount of £1,000 on each pay point for 2022/23 (an additional £1,000 pay rise). This offer was accepted by a number of unions, but rejected by the RCN membership and, as a result, the RCN balloted its members for strike action which was supported. The additional £1,000 hasn’t been implemented, and won’t be implemented until agreement over pay has been reached with all unions.

"In total, with the 4% and 6% that has already been implemented, the additional £1,000 consolidated sum that has been offered would then bring the total pay rise since 2021-22 to between 11% and 16% depending on a colleague’s grade, with staff on lower grades achieving a higher percentage uplift."