HUNTER nurses and midwives will join a state-wide, 24-hour strike on September 1 over staffing and pay.
The strike will be the third time this year that members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association will walk off the job for 24 hours while maintaining "life-preserving measures".
The union's general secretary Shaye Candish said the industrial action was in direct response to the government's inaction. They are calling for one nurse for every four patients to ensure the system is not "overstretched" and patients receive the best care.
"This health system will look fundamentally different if we don't see the government making real and genuine investment in nurse and midwives workforces."
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the government had invested more than any other state in building and upgrading hospitals over the past decade.
But Ms Candish said the government had not been "open" to negotiating over urgently needed staffing.
Hunter midwives and nurses are planning to rally in Newcastle's Civic Park on September 1.
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