The island’s Prospect union representative has welcomed the decision by members to accept a negotiated pay increase.

Mick Hewer, who leads the union’s negotiations in the island, said members have had a tough decade with the rise in the cost of living.

The agreement which has been reached between the Department of Health and Social Care and Prospect, and other public sector unions, sees health workers’ pay increased and backdated to April 2018.

The members affected are those on the Manx pay terms and conditions (MPTC) and National Joint Council (NJC) terms.

For the year beginning April 1 2018, members have received a 3% increase, from April 1 2019, a 2.5% increase and for April 1 2020, a 2.75% pay increase.

Mr Hewer said: ’We’re happy we’ve achieved as much as we can through normal talks and conciliatory efforts.

’Naturally I’m disappointed we couldn’t achieve a higher award in the first and subsequent years, given the cumulative effects of below-inflation awards imposed on our members during the previous decade.

’But this is in line with other public sector groups such as the Public Services Commission and we were the last group to settle. I do welcome the end of these negotiations.’

The increase will affect many areas of the island’s healthcare professionals including nurses, healthcare assistants and clinic staff such as physiotherapists, radiologists and podiatrists. Other employees of the DHSC, such as doctors and admin staff, are not included as their pay is part of a different scheme.

A spokesman for the DHSC said: ’The Public Services Commission (PSC) announced last December that a settlement for the three years to 2020/21 had been achieved (55p per hour for 2018/19, 2.5% for 2019/20 and 2.75% for 2020/21).

’The PSC covers all government civil service and manual and craft employees: including those in the DHSC. Agreement with both the department’s Manx Pay Terms and Conditions/National Joint Council employees, and its salaried doctors and dentists (i.e. not GPs and community dentists) was finalised last month. Negotiation of pay awards is often a drawn-out process, but these agreements now give certainty for a long period: a good outcome for the DHSC and its many employees.’