Anaesthetic technicians employed at Bowen and Wakefield Hospitals in Wellington and Hawkes Bay's Royston Hospital are threatening a 24-hour strike on Tuesday July 27 unless an agreement is reached through mediation.
Technicians have been in bargaining since May with hospital owner Evolution Healthcare, but talks have broken down over pay amid a growing workforce shortage, said the Allied Scientific and Technical Union (Apex).
The healthcare company has offered workers 2 per cent increases per year for two years, while Apex is seeking 5 per cent per year they said.
The union said the strike will result in nearly all surgery that requires a general anaesthetic being cancelled on Tuesday July 27.
Apex advocate Luke Coxon said New Zealand had an acute shortage of anaesthetic technicians, with surgeries now being routinely cancelled due to workforce shortages.