Nurses are reassuring patients that if they decide to walk off the job, nobody will be left in the lurch.
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Voting is officially open for Nurses' Organisation members on whether they should strike for two days in July, if an independent panel set up to mediate between nurses and the DHBs can't find a solution.
Industrial services manager Cee Payne says they'll have to give some warning if they decide to go on strike.
"If the independent panel arrives at a decision, that information will be provided to our members and they'll have the opportunity to vote on that."
The Nurses' Organisation will send out emails and letters from Monday, giving members a month to decide if they want to walk off the job.
Ms Payne says industrial action is a last resort.
"We're required by law to provide life preserving services which we will comply with. In the event that our members do support industrial action, that's the step that we would take."
Ms Payne says if the strikes get the green light, there will be two 24 hour strikes, a week apart in July.
Newshub.
