patience with Bermuda Hospital's Board over pay and conditions.

The motion to strike was backed by 133 nurses attending a packed meeting at the hospital with just eight nurses voting against.

The action will involve around 500 nurses based at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and St. Brendan's.

The union issued a 21-day strike notice but action will only go ahead if Labour Minister Paula Cox decides not to urge mediation or enforce compulsory arbitration.

Ms Cox could not be reached for comment last night.

But Bermuda Public Service Association (BPSA) General Secretary Ed Ball said: "Patients will not be jeopardised.'' However Golinda Fox, who is second vice President of the KEMH's BPSA branch said: "On the issue of patient care the board has 21 days to decide what they would like to do. It's in their hands now.

"If patient care is jeopardised it won't be because of the nurses.'' Mr. Ball said: "We no longer have any faith in talking in good faith with the Bermuda Hospital's Board.'' But he pointed out the vote was not unprecedented.

He said: "There was another strike notice given last year when they went to the streets.

"Nurses and allied workers are saying we have had enough.'' One nurse told The Royal Gazette : "It's a big step but it's an appropriate step at the moment. Our board are not taking us seriously. We need a pay increase and we need to be taken seriously.'' Talks broke down on Friday when the union rejected increases of between $300 and $2,675.

Some junior nurses earn less than $30 an hour and there is anger that some hospital workers earn more, despite having less responsibility and qualifications.

Nurses are also upset about shoddy equipment including faulty drip stands and broken bed stands.

Mr. Ball said the hospital had negotiated with money it didn't have because it knew it had failed in its bid to get a 4.5 percent increase in fees sanctioned by Government and had only been given a 2.8 percent increase.

Nurses vote to go on strike Mr. Ball said: "The hospital never relayed that the decision had been taken until April, so if you are bargaining in good faith please give the courtesy to say `I don't have the funds'.

"That's why we are saying, and we will prove to a third party, that we have not been treated fairly.

"We will gladly take this to a third party if need be and present our case.'' And BPSA President Betty Christopher: "I expect it will go to arbitration and particularly a third party. By doing this we can voice our concerns in that forum.

"So nurses can come out with their due and additional benefits.'' "We would have to abide if it goes to arbitration.'' Mr. Ball said the news of the strike notice had been conveyed to the Bermuda Hospital Board (BHB) and the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs.

But Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Robert Horton said last night: "We have had no notification from the BPSA on their intention to take industrial action.'' Bermuda Hospitals Board Chairwoman Ianthia Wade said: "It's really unfortunate we have got to this stage.'' "We are still willing to talk with the nurses -- if we hear nothing we will have no option but to refer it to arbitration.'' Mrs. Wade said the board had hoped Tuesday's press conference would have cleared up misunderstandings.

Instead they added fuel to the fire with the union taking issue with claims that nurses and other hospital workers, known as allied health, were being given a job evaluation to help assess upgrades.

Mr. Ball said: "There has never been a job evaluation exercise that we participated in yet Mrs. Wade stated that a job evaluation exercise will be completed by the end of May.

"That has never been shared.'' And Ms Fox said: "The only persons in allied health who had gone through a job description were X-ray and the lab. Allied health is more than X-ray and the lab.

"The proposals were never dependent on any job evaluations.'' The union said job evaluations should not be done in secret as the contract said two union representatives had to sit on them.

However Mrs. Wade said she had been told job descriptions had been carried out on all support workers.

This category includes occupational therapists and pharmacists as well as X-ray and lab technicians.

And the union were puzzled by board claims that some nurses would get specialist pay.

Ms Fox said specialist pay was a complicated issue because some hospitals abroad demanded qualifications before granting raises while others placed an emphasis on experience. She said the board was insisting on an international certificate.

However the board say the union were dead set against its bid to bring in specialist pay.

Mrs. Wade said: "If we are asking them to train to get these particular jobs then you can see they want compensation for it.'' She said the board were working on a formula to reward specialist qualifications as well as years of experience in specialist areas.

Mr. Ball also attacked the board for ignoring a union offer to talk directly to the nurses and then trying to meet with nurses behind the union's back.

He said: "That's bargaining in bad faith.'' However the Board say the union scuppered the meetings by advising their staff not to go which led to the Board cancelling them because they were a waste of time.