Doctors vote to take strike action in row over pay

The chest of a doctor wearing a white shirt with a red striped tie and a stethoscope around his neck.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption,

Some 61% of doctors eligible to vote took part in ballot, which opened in early June

ByCatherine NicollIsle of Man

Published51 minutes ago

Doctors on the Isle of Man have voted in support of taking strike action in a row over "pay erosion".

The British Medical Association (BMA) said 104 of its 168 eligible members took part in the ballot, with 95% voting in favour.

The union said inflation had seen doctors take a "real terms pay cut of 29%" since 2008.

Manx Care said it remained "hopeful" its new pay offer - made on 18 June - would be accepted. A ballot on the proposed improved deal is due to conclude next week. No date has been set for industrial action.

The strike ballot result coincides with the departure of Manx Care chief executive Teresa Cope, who has been at the helm since its creation in 2021.

Cope's resignation was followed by the announcement that the healthcare provider's chair Wendy Reid would also be stepping down this summer.

Prakash Thiagarajan, who is wearing a black suit jacket over a pink open-necked shirt, standing in a lecture theatre.

Image caption,

Prakash Thiagarajan said the vote sent "a clear message that the current situation cannot continue"

Doctors on the island called off a planned walkout in January 2025 after a deal was reached covering two financial years from 2023-24.

That saw the awarding of an 8% pay uplift for the first year, along with another 6% rise from April 2024 and a further 2% from February last year.

The BMA said, despite those rises, doctors' real-terms pay was still significantly below what it was in 2008.

Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society Dr Prakash Thiagarajan said the latest vote was "a clear message that the current situation cannot continue".

Pay erosion had left doctors "feeling undervalued and increasingly concerned about the future of the profession on the island", he added.

BMA deputy chair of council Dr Emma Runswick said, in voting for strike action, doctors were "standing up for fair pay, recognition of their expertise, and the long-term sustainability of medical staffing on the island".