The British Medical Association is calling on the Chief Minister to intervene in the doctors' pay dispute.

Doctors are to be balloted for industrial action for the first time in the Isle of Man.

The BMA says doctors are ‘deeply frustrated, over-stretched and underpaid’ - and have experienced real terms pay cuts by up to 29% since 2008.

It is calling for a 12.6% uplift for the last financial year (2023-24).

But Manx Care says it is unable to improve its most recent offer of 6%. It made an interim award of 6% for 2023-24 while negotiations continued.

Now the the BMA has written to Chief Minister Alfred Cannan requesting him to intervene.

In the letter, chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society, Dr Prakash Thiagarajan said that negotiations have ceased as no improved offer from Manx Care is forthcoming.

He said the BMA has concluded it has no option but to ballot its members for industrial action.

He said that while preparations to ballot members are underway, there remains a ‘window of opportunity’ to conclude an agreement and avoid industrial action.

Dr Thiagarajan wrote: ‘We are also concerned that the negotiating mechanism for determining pay is no longer capable of delivering appropriate pay for doctors nor the financial certainty required by both Manx care and the government.

‘As such we would support your input in discussing how pay decisions are made in the future in a way that can be mutually beneficial.’

Speaking about the letter, Dr Thiagarajan said: ‘We will leave no stone unturned as we try to resolve this dispute and avert industrial action.

‘It’s disappointing to not have been given a reasonable offer from Manx Care, but we’re hoping intervention by the Chief Minister could help us make progress.

‘Doctors on the Isle of Man deserve to be paid fairly for the essential work they do. All we are asking is to see the real terms pay cuts we’ve been receiving reversed.’

Manx Care chief executive Teresa Cope has said it would cost an extra £3.5m to £4m to fund the BMA’s pay demand for island doctors.

Figures released by the organisation show that with the interim 6% pay award, the basic salary scale for doctors in the Isle of Man has risen to between £30,048 for a year 1 foundation house officer and £168,275 for the highest paid consultant.

This, it said, compares with the latest UK pay agreement, which is £36,616 to £131,964.

Manx Care said these offers and increases are in line with pay increases for our other staff colleagues.