Manx Care Doctors to Vote on Strike Action Next Week

A union has confirmed that doctors employed by Manx Care will receive a ballot next week regarding potential strike action, stemming from a pay dispute. The British Medical Association (BMA) stated that 155 of its members on the island, encompassing salaried dentists and consultants, are scheduled to vote on industrial action. The voting period for the ballot will span six weeks, commencing on Tuesday and concluding on 23 December. Manx Care deemed the BMA’s request for a 12.6% pay increase for the 2023-24 award year as “unaffordable,” opting instead to implement a 6% rise as an interim measure. Last month, Teresa Cope, the chief executive of the healthcare provider, indicated that bridging the “significant gap of 6.6%” between Manx Care’s offer and the union’s demands would incur costs of up to £4m. Manx Care is currently facing a deficit of £16.8m for the current financial year and has been instructed to implement savings to achieve financial balance. In October, when announcing the ballot, the BMA highlighted that while inflation on the island had risen by 56.3% over the last 16 years, “the maximum consultant’s salary increased by just 27.3% over the same period.” Phil Banfield, chairman of the union’s council, stated then that Manx doctors were “overstretched and underpaid” and “deserved the same” as their counterparts in the UK, who have successfully engaged in industrial action. The union confirmed that the ballot results, which mark the first such vote for Manx doctors, are anticipated to be released soon after their confirmation. In prior years, pay increases included 3% for 2021-22, followed by 6% along with a £1,000 consolidated increase for 2022-23.