Health Minister Nelson Bascome hopes to take a back seat role in the nurses' protest over poor pay and conditions.

He said a meeting was planned in January between key nursing staff, the Bermuda Hospitals Board and union representatives, but he did not see a need for himself to attend.

He was presented with written concerns after scores of nurses demonstrated around the streets of Hamilton last week to raise awareness of their plight.

They claim they are not treated fairly in comparison to medical technicians, and are asking for their salaries and conditions to be reviewed.

Mr. Bascome sympathised with their concerns and said then he hoped to bring them the Christmas present they wished for.

But on Friday, although he said some of the issues had been addressed, he said the staff and board would have to work out the others.

Mr. Bascome said: "I will only get involved if there is no movement after the talks and if a stalemate develops.

"I have listened to their concerns and will continue to do so, but I see my role more as a mediator and arbitrator, if I have to do that.

"I know staff and the board are hoping to meet sometime in January.

Hopefully, everything can be resolved then.'' However, although the Health Minister said he recognised some of the nurses' gripes, he said not all were totally justified.

The nurses and their representatives from the Bermuda Public Services Association (BPSA) said staff in Bermuda had been left behind in comparison with other countries when it came to pay, conditions and the number of nurses employed.

And they said that the board had offered greater incentives to entice people into the profession, but did little to retain senior members of staff.

However, Mr. Bascome said last night that he had investigated the pay rates of nurses in the US and found that those in Bermuda were probably better off.

And he said although there was a worldwide shortage of nurses, Bermuda was not in a desperate situation with "only'' 19 vacancies and 12 additional staff coming on board in the New Year.

He said: "I have looked at US salaries and when you take taxes into account and various deductions, they are well below our nurses.

"I know it is more expensive to live here compared to the US, but I think nurses here are still ahead.'' But BPSA general secretary Edward Ball disputed both points, particularly the issue of salaries.

He said: "We have the results of a national US survey on nurses pay and it states that the average pay is $45 an hour. In Bermuda it is $30 an hour. That cannot be right.

"And there is a nursing shortage all over the world -- that also applies in Bermuda. I don't think the nurses are being unrealistic. They are just asking for better pay and conditions.

"I think the nurses have stayed behind the hospitals board in every way, as they are still doing now.

"If the board wants to take it to negotiations and let it stretch out for four to six months, then we will do that.'' And he said it did not make sense to wait until the nurses' contracts run out next September, because by the time negotiations are started, the budget will have already been set months beforehand.

He said if talks are held now, then allowances can be made in the next budget.