Will refuse overtime, N.L. nurses say while deferring strike action

Will refuse overtime, N.L. nurses say while deferring strike action

Excerpts:

The union representing Newfoundland and Labrador's nurses said Tuesday its members won't work overtime next week, although it stopped short of declaring a full-fledged strike.

However, the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union, which announced on Saturday that 63 per cent of voting members rejected a final government offer, said nurses will not "abandon their patients" if they finish a shift and no one is available to relieve them.

Meanwhile, Forward said her members know a strike, if it goes ahead, would be difficult for patients who depend on their services.

"You can't take some 50 per cent of nurses out of the system without it having an impact on patients and wait times," Forward told CBC News.

Union leaders met Monday to plan their next move. By law, the union must give seven days notice before a strike can begin.

*Click here to read the full article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/05/12/nurses-strike-impact-512.html