Nurses stop work as part of escalating industrial action

Key points

• Nurses and midwives at two Illawarra private health facilities have stopped work for several hours. The action is part of a dispute with operator Healthe Care over pay and enforceable staffing ratios.
• The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association says talks have stalled after six months. Further action, including stop works and overtime bans, could follow across Healthe Care's 13 private hospitals and day surgeries if no agreement is reached.
• The union says the company's final pay offer is below inflation and has refused to introduce shift-by-shift nurse-to-patient ratios.