Medical professionals on the Isle of Man have voted in favor of strike action amid an ongoing dispute regarding compensation, according to the British Medical Association. Of 168 eligible members, 104 participated in the ballot, with 95% supporting the move to industrial action. No specific date for any walkout has been announced.
The union contends that physicians have experienced a real-terms reduction in earnings of 29% since 2008 due to inflationary pressures. Despite recent pay increases awarded through a previous agreement, the BMA maintains that current compensation remains substantially below 2008 levels. The healthcare provider Manx Care extended a revised pay proposal on 18 June, with a separate ballot on the improved offer scheduled to conclude in the following week.
This development occurs alongside significant leadership changes at Manx Care, with chief executive Teresa Cope departing from a position she has held since the organization’s establishment in 2021. Additionally, the healthcare provider’s chair Wendy Reid announced plans to step down later in the summer.
Medical professionals previously halted a scheduled strike action earlier in the year after reaching an agreement covering two financial periods beginning in 2023-24. That arrangement included an 8% pay increase for the initial year, followed by a 6% raise from April 2024 and an additional 2% increase from February of the previous year.
Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society, characterized the latest ballot result as a decisive statement that prevailing conditions are unsustainable. Medical professionals have expressed concerns about feeling undervalued and worry about the long-term viability of the medical profession on the island, according to union representatives.
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