My offer for formal talks was rejected, and instead, the ministers chose the strike, the union leader said in a statement.

Cullen added that nurses are tired of being ignored, of being underpaid, of having to deal with under-staffing and of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve.

Health Minister Steve Barclay warned that the government cannot afford the pay increase demanded by the nurses.

The strike should be the largest organized by the health sector in more than a century, and would take place in the midst of a growing wave of protests and strikes by different labor unions demanding a wage increase in line with inflation, and which should allow them to alleviate the cost of living crisis.

The day before, rail workers’ representatives met with the Minister of Transportation trying to avert a new strike that could paralyze train service in the days leading up to Christmas and early January. jrr/arm/mem/nm