Revised pay offer for doctors 'not accepted'
Doctors on the Isle of Man have not accepted an updated offer in an ongoing pay dispute but further talks will take place next week, the healthcare provider has said.
Manx Care said it had revised its existing offer of a 6% uplift for the 2023-24 year and a further 4% rise for 2024-25 in December to match salaries in England.
Last month, 95% of British Medical Association (BMA) members balloted, which included doctors, salaried dentists and consultants, said they were prepared to strike.
BMA has declined to comment on the latest offer and talks.
The union has previously called for a 12.6% pay rise for 2023-24, which was rejected by Manx Care as "unaffordable".
'Beyond parity'
The healthcare provider said its latest offer would uplift all doctors on a lower pay scale to "be equal to the 2024 figures in England", and would hold the positions that already earn higher at their current rates.
The revised offer was made at a meeting with the union, facilitated by the Manx Industrial Relations, which was held on 19 December and followed up with a formal offer in writing.
A further meeting took place on Thursday but the offer was "not accepted" by the BMA, which had "sought improvements", Manx Care said.
However, it said both sides had agreed that the island may need to "consider going beyond parity with England pay scales in order to support recruitment and retention of high calibre doctors to the island".
The union was also seeking further clarification on the detail of the proposed offer, with different levels of uplift applying to different grades of doctors, it added.
The BMA has previously argued pay for some of its members had faced "real term cuts" of up to 19% in pay since 2008.
The two parties have agreed to a further meeting next week to continue negotiations.
It comes as the island's healthcare provider is facing a £16.8m deficit this financial year, and has been tasked with making savings in a bid to balance its books.
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