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The NSW government is under pressure to deliver a pay rise for hospital staff as workers on the state's north coast walk off the job for the first of three days of industrial action.
Staff at Tweed Hospital will walk off the job for an hour at 10am on Tuesday and the stoppages will continue at Lismore on Wednesday at midday and Coffs Harbour on Thursday at 2pm.
The Health Services Union (HSU), which represents hospital workers such as cleaners, administrative and other support staff, says employees are frustrated that wage negotiations have yet to begin since Labor came to power in NSW on March 25.
A key plank of Labor's election campaign was the promise to abolish the public sector wages cap and negotiate wage rises for frontline workers.
HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said the suppression of wages had led to a crisis in attracting and retaining health staff.
"NSW Labor was elected with significant expectations. They need to get moving on fulfilling them," he said.
"There are more than 12,000 vacancies in NSW Health, and there is no time to waste in lifting wages and conditions so that we attract and retain the health workers our state needs."
Health care workers want the wages cap lifted as well as a real commitment to reviewing their industrial awards, the union said.
"Hard working therapists, wards people, security and catering staff are living through a wages recession. Their real incomes are being smashed as the cost of living melts their pay," Mr Hayes said.
