Details have emerged of the compromise deal that was agreed to end the postal dispute.

A large majority of posties with the Communications Workers’ Union (89%) this month voted to accept a revised offer, bringing to an end a long-running dispute over changes to their pay and terms and conditions.

A spokesman for the Isle of Man Post Office said throughout the negotiations, there had been compromise from both sides.

She said the final proposal includes a two-year pay deal, backdated to April 2018, and a buy-out of ’outdated’ allowances, and increased contributions to the pension scheme which will be closed to new entrants, subject to the design of a new scheme.

The spokesman said there will be ’continued collaborative effort’ on changes to ways of working, ahead of the introduction of five-day letter and packet delivery.

’Some elements had been agreed "without prejudice" for some time,’ she said. ’The key change was the CWU’s agreement to ballot their members on the elements they were agreeable to.’

The Examiner has learned that the revised settlement, which was recommended for approval by the union, sees a 1.5% increase on basic pay for the posties.

This is backdated to April plus a £450 lump sum and a 2% increase from April this year, with a next pay review in April 2020.

The initial offer had been for 0.5% increase for 2018-19 but pay frozen after that. A revised offer, also rejected by the CWU, upped this to a 1% rise and £250 lump sum, and 2% the following year.

Those posties on lates will get the choice to keep their night duty allowance or have it bought out at three times its current value. The driving allowance and long service days will end and be bought out.

There are plans to draw up a new ’risk sharing’ pension scheme for new starters, similar to what is being proposed for the Royal Mail in the UK.

An impasse over a new pay scale for new starters remains under discussion.

This had been one of the most contentious areas in the negotiations as the union feared it will create a two-tier workforce.

It is understood the Post Office management had originally suggested that new posties would start on £18,000 rather than the current £26,000, and the upper limit would be just £22,000.

This was denied by the board that insisted any new pay scale would be fair and competitive and set at a level such that the service can continue to retain and attract staff.

A benchmarking exercise on pay scales undertaken by the Post Office will be reviewed by an independent panel.

Posties took part in a two-day strike before Christmas, followed by a three-day walk out in a dispute over the changes to pay and terms and conditions.

Deputy general secretary postal Terry Pullinger said the negotiated agreement was the result of ’strong collective action and solidarity’.

He said the ’determination, fighting spirit and solidarity’ shown by members had ’pushed management back on all fronts’. Mr Pullinger said a factor in ’forcing the concessions’ was the direct involvement of the island’s industrial relations officer, Julie Bradley.