Unions will meet health officials on Friday where they hope to get clarity on what will happen to workers when their contracts expire.

Government representatives had told the unions on Monday that under a new directive from Premier Lara Giddings all of the fixed-term contracts could be terminated when they finished.

These include allied health workers in hospitals and other medical services across the state.

But Ms Giddings moved swiftly the same day to assure the nurses and other health workers that there had been a misunderstanding.

Ms Giddings said again yesterday that there had been no such directive.

``What we do have in place is that we will look at every case on a case-by-case basis,'' Ms Giddings said.

The health unions have been trying to get a government decision on rolling over at least two thirds of the 2100 workers - those who have been working on contracts for more than 12 months - to permanent positions.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Neroli Ellis and Health and Community Services Union assistant state secretary Tim Jacobson said that they had been called to an unscheduled meeting yesterday morning with the two senior health administrators.

``They apologised profusely for the bureaucratic bungle,'' Mrs Ellis said.

At the Royal Hobart Hospital the first effects of the health budget cuts were being felt yesterday with nine theatre procedures cancelled and 10 patients waiting in emergency for longer than 24 hours to be treated, Mrs Ellis said.

She expected a similar situation to start happening at the Launceston General Hospital from the start of the New Year.