A meeting of more than 2000 nurses and midwives in Melbourne yesterday voted to call on the Coalition government to agree on a single Fair Work Australia tribunal member to facilitate negotiations until a resolution is reached.

Should the government not agree, nurses yesterday voted to begin rolling four-hour stoppages twice a day from tomorrow.

The stoppages would begin at three hospitals initially, building by a further three hospitals each day until Wednesday when nurses at all Victorian public hospitals would be invited to join the industrial action.

Returning from Melbourne yesterday afternoon, Wodonga nurse and midwife Sheryl Neilsen said she and her colleagues were “ready for a fight”.

“We’r e perhaps a little disappointed that we are not included in the initial 15 hospitals taking action on the rolling stoppages,” she said.

“We are hoping after the first five days the government will take notice but I don’t believe that will be the case.

“At Wodonga we will be ready to join the action as soon as we are asked.

“We have also been asked to support nurses who will be involved in that initial action through a hardship fund, because they will start docking their pay.”

Australian Nursing Federation Victorian branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said nurses and midwives would take unprotected industrial action if Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu refused to agree to Fair Work Australia’s involvement.

Ms Neilsen said Wodonga, Wangaratta and Benalla nurses who travelled to Melbourne yesterday for the stopwork meeting supported the union action.

“It’s been a long fight. Mr Baillieu, when he was in opposition during the last EBA negotiations in 2007, bagged the fact it took the government eight days to complete negotiations,” she said.

“It’s been 108 days and we’re getting nowhere. We have fought this long and we’re not going to give up now.”

Ms Neilsen said nurses were told at yesterday’s meeting the union would collect resignations up until March 31.

“Before yesterday, I was aware of approximately 50 Wodonga nurses who had offered their resignations,” she said.

“I now believe that number has been boosted considerably.”