The Premier and the Health Minister say nurses and midwives have had the final pay offer from government.
The Premier and the Health Minister have told nurses and midwives their push for a 10 per cent increase in pay is futile.
Mark McGowan and Amber-Jade Sanderson were reacting to a rally of more than 2,000 nurses and midwives yesterday, which resulted in the threat of escalated industrial action.
The rally voted to increase the current pay claim from 5 per cent a year for two years, to 20 per cent over two years.
"I would say to nurses, stand down, it's not necessary to take such extraordinary action at this point," the Health Minister told ABC radio.
Australian Nursing Federation members voted to begin industrial action in seven days with a ban on double shifts if their demands are not met.
Every seven days beyond that the disruption deepens and would include the closure of one in five hospital beds and then indefinite strike action.
"I just urge them not to do it, there's no need for it," Mr McGowan said.
On top of the 10 per cent a year wages increase, the nurses want a one-off $4,500 cost of living payment.
But the government said its pay offer across the public sector is final. It provides a 6 per cent increase over two years plus a $3,000 payment to cover the increase in daily living.
"It's very generous, far more generous than New South Wales and Victoria," Mr McGowan said.
"We're not going to carve out a single group of public sector workers, or a different group of health care workers," Ms Sanderson said.
"Doctors, nurses, hospital cleaners and hospital support staff have all had the same offer."
Another crucial bargaining issue is the ANF's ongoing calls for acceptable nurse to patient ratios.
Ms Sanderson said recommendations from a recent review are being considered, but more work needs to be done.
"We can't make a blanket offer when we don't know what the implications across the health system will be," she said.
Wednesday's rally was expected to support the 5 per cent per year increase, but nurses addressed the crowd saying the cost of living is currently at 7.6 per cent in WA and the McGowan government has a surplus of $6 billion.
ANF chief executive Mark Olson said the mood of members was palpable and it was difficult to convince them not to take immediate industrial action.
He said the government had given no commitment to implementing better nurse to patient ratios and until it did the industrial unrest would likely worsen.
"What the nurses are waiting for is those words from the minister - we are committed to ratios," he said.
Ms Sanderson said the Health Department would monitor the increasing workplace action before deciding whether to seek intervention by the Industrial Relations Commission.
"Patient safety is always at centre of what nurses do and I would say to them stand down from industrial action and come back to the negotiating table," she said.
Both the premier and minister suggested the volatility of the nurses rally and demands are linked to an election for senior positions inside the ANF.
