More than 36-thousand Nurses' Organisation members nationwide went on strike yesterday, and they will walk off the job again tomorrow.

Health New Zealand says the action could disrupt treatment, services and care over the entire week - especially for patients with non-urgent needs.

It’s while the Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has criticised the strikes – saying they’ll disrupt more than 13,000 surgeries and appointments.

All this, after a year of deadlocked negotiations between the union and Health NZ.

Today on The Front Page, union delegate and health care assistant at Christchurch Hospital, Al Dietschin will tell us what it’s like on the ground, and at the picket line.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

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