The Department of Health and the Department of Social Care have reached agreement on the pay negotiations with Health and Social Care staff in the MPTC (Manx Pay Terms and Conditions) and NJC (National Joint Council) groups for the financial year commencing 1st April 2010. This agreement affects around 1000 staff in the Department of Health and around 400 staff in the Department of Social Care. This includes nursing staff and other care workers. There shall be an unconsolidated non-pensionable, one-off payment as follows: • ?350 for staff whose contracted full-time basic pay was less than ?25,000 on 1st April 2010 • ?250 for staff whose pay was equal to ?25,000 but less than ?43,500 • Nil for staff earning ?43,500 or more. These sums shall be paid pro rata to part-time employees. Affected staff will receive the payment in January 2012. The Minister for Health Hon David Anderson MHK said: “I would like to commend all concerned with the negotiations for meeting the challenge of balancing staff expectations with the pressures on Government to control expenditure.” Minister for Social Care Hon Chris Robertshaw MHK added: “Staff were given the option of the one-off payment as agreed or a lower sum for all staff. Unite consulted its members and the majority chose the former option. I am pleased we have now reached agreement. I hope we are now able to progress negotiations for 2011/12.” The Regional Industrial Organiser for Unite the Union Steve Salter said: “We all firmly believe that now the offer has been accepted future pay negotiations will not be as protracted. The changes that we have agreed upon ensure that if agreements on pay in future cannot be settled through open dialogue between the unions and the employer we will now have as an option to revert the matter to independent arbitration through the Island’s Industrial Relations Officer. I am sure that the employer will agree that negotiations have taken place in a robust but professional manner without the need to involve outside influences to effect the outcome. We feel that we have managed to achieve a settlement that can be implemented without the added worry of jobs being cut to fund it which was a paramount concern for all the unions involved in these negotiations.” ENDS