Nurses and midwives across NSW have walked off the job for 24 hours, while maintaining life-preserving care, and are calling for staffing guarantees.
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The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association wants one nurse for every four patients to ensure the system is not overstretched and patients receive the best care.
The union's general secretary Shaye Candish said the strike on Thursday - the third this year - was a sign the government was not listening to overworked health workers in an increasingly stretched sector reeling from the pandemic.
"We need the NSW government to engage in meaningful discussions on introducing safe nursing and midwifery ratios across our state," she said.
"(It) must prioritise patient care and commit to a safer staffing model with a guaranteed minimum number of nurses and midwives on every shift.
"The evidence is clear that ratios save lives and reduce costs."
Nurses and midwives are also demanding a seven per cent pay rise to keep up with the rising cost of living, more than double the government's public sector wage increase cap of three per cent.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the offer was "fair, reasonable and generous".
"It's above private sector wages ... it's the most generous wages packages anywhere in the country," he told reporters on Wednesday.
When asked his thoughts about nurses going on strike, he appeared less combative.
"I don't want the public service to be striking but when other unions do so they do so with care and with many services still being provided. These are not comparable," Mr Perrottet said.
Australian Associated Press
