Doctors vote in support of industrial action

BMA says 121 out of 127 members responding to ballot were in support of action

Doctors on the Isle of Man have voted in support of industrial action following a ballot by the British Medical Association.

121 out of the 127 doctors responding to the ballot voted in favour of action.

Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society Dr Prakash Thiagarajan says he hopes strike action can be avoided, and that Manx Care will work to find a solution.

He says: "We’ve now got a clear mandate from our members that Manx Care cannot ignore. I hope we can still avoid strike action, and that Manx Care will now come to us in good faith to find a solution that values the work we do. Doctors want to give patients the best possible care and that’s achieved by improving the working lives of doctors and the first step towards such improvement is reduction of the years of pay erosion we have suffered."

BMA members have been seeking a 12.6% uplift for the 2023-24 financial year.

It's the first time the organisation has held such a ballot on the Island.