But the state government has accused unions of causing "maximum disruption" to NSW residents for political gain.

The day after NSW teachers announced a 24-hour strike, the NSW Nurses and Midwifery Association (NSWMA) announced stop work action to take place in the same week, bringing the number of industrial actions brought by public sector workers close to double digits for the first six months of the year.

Wagga nurse and NSWNMA delegate Natalie Ellis said that Wagga nurses will stop work for four and half hours on Tuesday, joining a statewide union meeting where they will then vote on further industrial action.

The nurses, like their counterparts in the teacher unions, want wages to keep up with inflation, but they are also fighting for nurse-to-patient ratios.

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"The biggest thing, this is where we differ from every other field. We're proposing something that is in [other] states in Australia and working well, but our government doesn't even want to negotiate or listen to the evidence for nurse to patient ratios," she said.

Set ratios have long been the key issue for nurses, who say that patient safety is put at risk due to low staffing across the sector.

"If we worked in the energy or transport system, there would be fines implemented for anyone working over a 14-hour day due to safety," she said.

"Nurses regularly work double shifts, which is 16 hours. Some work 18 or 20 hours. And it's becoming the norm. It's a system that's in crisis."

Ms Ellis said that Wagga nurses are likely to back further industrial action after next week's meeting.

The vitriol between workers and the state government intensified on Thursday, when Minister for Employee Relation Damien Tudehope announced hefty new fines for what he described as "illegal strike action".

Mr Tudehope told the Daily Advertiser that unions in the state are invested in electing a Labor government and are using industrial action to that end.

"These are strikes that are designed to create maximum disruption for families who have children at school. And secondly, maximum disruption for people who want healthcare," he said.

He said his government is committed to negotiating with unions and as such, industrial action is not warranted.

"In respect to the health unions. We delivered them an increased wages package, we delivered them a $3000 [bonus] payment. We delivered them 10,000 new jobs to alleviate workforce pressures."

Mr Tudehope said that it is simply not possible for the state to bring wages in line with inflation.

"Most economists say that pay rises linked to inflation rates, all they do is play into an inflation spiral, and to get to a fiscal position that is responsible, a pay rise strategy has to be such that it does not contribute to that spiral".

He also ruled out nurse-to-patient ratios and said he expects there to be more industrial action as the year goes on.

"Mark Morey, the secretary of the NSW Labour council, in February this year, said it was going to be a year of strikes," he said.

"It is the union officials who say that their strategy for the next 12 months is to create industrial chaos ... my great desire is that the people of NSW should not be used as pawns for a political outcome."

But Secretary Unions NSW Mark Morey said that the actions by the various public sector unions are due to years of neglect by successive governments

"When unemployment is high, we're told we can't have a pay rise because it will result in jobs not being created. When we have low inflation we can't have a pay rise because it will push inflation up," he said.

"When can we have a pay rise?"

Many across the state may be surprised by what seems to be a dramatic rise in union action.

University of Technology Sydney political economist Dr Elizabeth Humphrys said that it appears this way only when compared to our recent union history.

"We're currently in a period of quite weak union power and industrially unions have not been very proactive," she said.

"I guess it is unusual compared to the last few years ... but in historic terms we're such a long distance from the 1970s which is a high period of industrial activity."

Union membership as recently as the 1980s was at 50 per cent of the population and was predominantly male dominated, while today membership sits at closer to 13 per cent and a member today is most likely to be female, and a nurse or a teacher.

And Dr Humphrys said the recent activity is being driven by this cohort which has been underpaid for decades.

"I think in an environment where women workers are likely to be paid less than male counterparts for the same level of training and experience, there are historic reasons why these workers feel underpaid," she said.

"But there is a more specific pressure at the moment which is that inflation is nearly double what worker wage rises are."

As for Minister Tudehope's announcement on fines for unions, Dr Humphrys calls the move "politically motivated".

"They're presenting it as if there's some big problem happening at the moment, that there's strikes everywhere," she said.

"That's historically not true. And that's a political motivation of theirs, as the employer, to be painting teachers and nurses as somehow demanding something that is unreasonable."

For Ms Ellis, her union will keep fighting for what they believe is best for staff and patients, even if that means more disruption.

"[The government] is wielding all these 'we'll give tougher fines, this is against the law' lines. I'm a law abiding person but I'm willing to go on strike. This is about the humanity of Australia, of NSW. And that's being ignored by this government," she said.

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