Nurses on the Isle of Man are set to march from Noble’s Hospital to Villiers Square next week in a protest for better pay.
The protest comes after Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members recently rejected a pay offer proposed by Manx Care, as well as a recent strike action postal ballot in which over 70% of nurses voted in favour of taking strike action.
On Tuesday July 18 RCN members will set off from the hospital at 9.15am, heading towards Villiers Square via the Tynwald building, where a small number of members will remain to observe the Tynwald sitting.
The RCN is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world.
The protest is not strike action and if nurses are on the rota during the march they must attend work.
The latest pay offer Manx Care offered RCN members is a £1,000 consolidated payment for the pay year 2022/23 in addition to the 6% already awarded in November 2022.
However Manx Care stated the £1,000 payment would not apply to those who left Manx Care during 2022/23.
The payment will be applied in respect of hours and part-years worked for staff joining after April 1.
A survey on the two year combined offer was undertaken in March 2023, and 85% of respondents rejected the offer.
The RCN, alongside other recognised trade unions on the island, have been negotiating with Manx Care since 2021. Collectively the unions have been seeking a pay award of 15%.
The RCN believes a rise of 15% would “begin to recognise the skill, professionalism and safety critical work of nursing staff that has historically been undervalued”.
The route for Tuesday’s march, which totals just under 4km, will follow the A23 from Noble’s Hospital, to the roundabout, then on to Peel Road and down to Quarterbridge, crossing at Quarter Bridge and following the Peel Road until turning left on to Circular Road. Turning right on to Prospect Hill there will be a brief stop at the Tynwald Building before protestors will move to Villiers Square.
The RCN Regional Director for the North West of England, Estephanie Dunn, said: ‘The ballot outcome and recent engagement with our membership on the Isle of Man has given a strong message on how they want us to progress their campaign for fair pay.
‘We continue to work on their behalf and will have further information about the strike action in the coming days.
‘In the meantime, our members are demanding action and we will support them to have their say during the protest march.
‘Both our members and Manx Care need a resolution to this protracted pay dispute, but there has been enough talk.
‘Now we need action.’
The RCN has said further information on strike action will be announced shortly, but it regards it as a last resort.
However it did add that there is overwhelming support for a pay rise for nurses, especially at this time, and the public and RCN members have taken to social media in their tens of thousands to demand fair pay for nursing, not just in the Isle of Man, but across the UK.