Canterbury nurses and hospital staff will reveal this afternoon details of further strike action by 3200 staff of the Canterbury District Health Board.
"Details will be released at 2 pm today and the strike action will be of an escalated nature compared to the 48-hour strike taken last month," Nurses Organisation spokeswoman Chris Wilson told NZPA.
Nurses and staff at all 16 Canterbury hospitals have given their support to continued industrial action over their collective contracts, after rejecting an average 4 per cent wage increase.
The board and senior clinicians say they are worried about patient safety during any future strike.
Ms Wilson said meetings were held yesterday and late last night to agree on a plan of attack in their strike action.
"Members don't want the dispute going on and on and negotiations are scheduled for two days this week.
"We are fully committed to bargaining. We want a resolution. We have the mayors' meeting this afternoon and it will be our opportunity to present out case first hand to the Health Minister Annette King."
Mrs King will be in Christchurch for a meeting with Canterbury mayors, the Canterbury District Health Board and unions for what is hoped will be a circuit-breaker to a dispute which remains unresolved after months of often bitter talks.
Emphasising that neither he nor Mrs King would become part of the negotiations, Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore yesterday said the meeting would provide a neutral environment -- "a ladder with which they can climb out of the trenches", he said.
At the centre of the dispute is the operation of Hillmorton Hospital for more than 250 mentally ill patients.
The board said it will have to close Hillmorton because it does not have enough staff to run it due to a 4-1/2 month overtime ban.
Ms Wilson said the closing of Hillmorton (formerly Sunnyside) was a huge concern to the unions.
"We have been telling the employer for seven months that more staff are needed at Hillmorton because nurses have been working...16-hour double shifts."
- NZPA
Nurses to reveal new strike plans this afternoon
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