21 Dec 2005

Striking PNG nurses meeting Chairman of Arbitration

4:12 pm on 21 December 2005

The Port Moresby General Hospital in Papua New Guinea has shut down all bar essential services after authorities determined that it was critically short of nurses and couldn't function normally.

It follows around 4-thousand nurses across the country going on strike on Monday over demands for improved wages and conditions.

Some stand-in staff have been brought in, but the country's main hospital has confirmed that most activities have ground to a halt.

Meanwhile, the striking nurses have been called to an urgent meeting with the Chairman of Arbitration.

The Nurses Association's President, Lawrence Namaro says they're hopeful of a positive outcome.

"The members really are hoping that we'll get something positive so we'll go down to the chairman of the tribunal now and we hope that they come good because the members are still waiting here to see if something comes out from the meeting."