More than 22,000 public hospital workers across the state have unanimously voted to strike over fears about workplace safety.
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Industrial action will be launched across all NSW hospitals, including Wollongong and Shellharbour hospitals.
NSW Health Services Union delegates on Tuesday voted to stop work for four hours on August 1, as they fight for increased security at the state's hospitals.
"We want a safer workplace ... the government needs to take security seriously within the health setting," HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes told reporters in Sydney.
Paramedics, allied health, catering, administration and security staff across the state will take part in the action.
HSU state councillor for the ambulance division, Matt Anderson, told the Mercury the decision to take industrial action was not one made lightly.
"There has been years of inaction by the government towards violence against hospital staff," he said. "They have been shot at, stabbed and punched and paramedics get it on a daily basis.
"As a union we want people to go to work and be safe, and we want patients to be safe.
"Workers want to look after their patients but we have been backed into a corner.
"The years of inaction means we have to take drastic measures."
Mr Anderson said the HSU wanted to sit down with the government to talk about ways to stop violence towards hospital staff.
Mr Hayes has called on the state government to increase staffing levels and provide special training to hospital security guards to safeguard workers as well as patients and visitors.
There were 529 reported assaults in NSW hospitals in 2017-18.
Labor's health spokesman and Keira MP Ryan Park said hospital staff were not punching bags.
"These are people who care for the sick day in, day out. They should have a right to feel safe while they're doing their jobs," Mr Park said.
"I absolutely support this strike action.
"It is up to the government. It should not have gotten this far and this long into the discussions where health workers feel they have no other option than to take strike action.
"Emergency department and hospitals are already very stressful environments.
"They need additional support and resources but they also need additional training to cope with what is an ever increasing stress on them.
"This is an issue that is getting worse by the week. We are seeing more and more assaults and attacks on front line hospital workers."
Mr Park said the government should have provided additional staff, recruited for vacant staff positions and provided additional training to front line hospital security workers.
Mr Anderson said it was good to have the support of Mr Park.
"We need support from both sides of politics," he said.
A NSW Health spokesman said that data from workers compensation claims since 2016 showed a decrease in injuries to staff from assault.
The spokesman said there had also been an increase in security staff across NSW from 974 full time equivalent staff in 2010 to 1243 in 2018.
"NSW Health security staff have all the powers required to undertake the role needed of them, including the ability to detain an individual who has committed a crime until the police arrive and where necessary restrain an individual who has assaulted another or is threatening to assault another person, or who has damaged or threatened to damage NSW Health property," the spokesman said.
NSW Health would work with the Industrial Relations Commission "to resolve any planned industrial action".
with AAP