Australia's Victoria faces extensive industrial actions by nurses

Australia's Victorian state Premier Ted Baillieu on Friday urged nurses not to take further industrial action, as the state is facing closure of one third of public hospital beds due to nurses' pay battle with the state government. Protected work bans by the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) started on Thursday, which included a ban on paperwork and electronic forms, working overtime and wearing T-shirts in support of their campaign. ANF members will meet on Friday afternoon to decide whether or not to proceed with further industrial bans, including the closing of one third of the state's public hospital beds. Baillieu said the state government is keen to reach an agreement with nurses, and urged them not to take further industrial action and to maintain their position at negotiating table, because he did not want to heighten the debate and the government's responsibility was to patients. "I don't want to present anything or elevate any rhetoric about this, suffice to say that my first responsibility as premier, the government's responsibility, is to patients and we will honor that responsibility," he told reporters in Melbourne. The Victorian state government is recently locked in dispute with several unions representing the public servants, jail workers and teachers. Twenty-two emergency department doctors employed by Western Health will also decide on Friday which of eight proposed bans will proceed, which includes refusing to take patients from ambulances during their busiest periods and not performing minor surgical procedures when operating theaters are full. Staff at some jails in state Victoria of Australia will next week begin the first phase of their strike action, as part of a campaign for better pay and conditions.