Doctors on the Isle of Man are to be balloted for industrial action, the BMA has announced.
The ballot, which opens on Friday 12th June and closes Thursday 2nd July, comes after Noble's Hospital was placed under its highest level of operational pressure last month as it entered Operational Pressures Escalation Level Four, an alert status used to maintain safe care during periods of extreme strain. This was followed by the announcement that Chair of Manx Care Wendy Reid would step down this summer. In May, Manx Care's Chief Executive Officer Teresa Cope also announced her intention to step down.
Isle of Man doctors, who are employed by Manx Care, are asking for a 7.9% uplift in pay for the 26/27 year. Since 2008, RPI on the island has increased by 112% while pay has increased by just 51% over the same period. This means real pay is down 29%.
Last year, doctors called off industrial action, which would have been the first doctors strike in the island’s history, after they voted to accept a new pay deal, but were clear that future action would be likely if future pay deals did not bring them closer to pay restoration.
The latest Culture of Care Barometer Survey, the annual survey which seeks the views of doctors on the island about the health service they work for and the standards of care it provides, which was released in February, found that less than a quarter of doctors at Manx Care say they’d recommend it as place to work. When it came to their day-to-day work of caring for their patients, only a quarter of respondents believed they have the resources they need to do their job well and just over a third said they had the time they need to do their job well.
Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society, Dr Prakash Thiagarajan said:
“Doctors on the Isle of Man deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do, and the pay cuts we have faced over the last decade are unfair and untenable. No doctor wants to go on strike, but without an acceptable offer from Manx Care, this is a very real possibility. Manx Care can prevent any strikes by addressing the severe real terms pay cuts that Isle of Man doctors have endured.”
Deputy chair of council Dr Emma Runswick said:
“Isle of Man doctors have been undervalued for far too long. As a result of organising in the BMA and the threat of strike action last year, doctors won a significant step towards reversing real terms pay cuts, but the fight for fair pay is not over. Manx doctors in the BMA, like on mainland, stand ready to fight for recognition of their skills and expertise.”
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Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.