Stop-work action is also planned for the North on Tuesday and the South on Wednesday.

Union members are expected to stop about 11.30am at the Launceston General Hospital. 

More than 100 staff from the North West Regional Hospital took part in the industrial action, including allied health, administration and maintenance staff. 

Health and Community Services Union assistant state secretary Robbie Moore said the government’s wage offer was totally unfair. 

“[Health professionals] stopped work because of the government’s totally unfair wage offer and the fact that they won’t negotiate with them in good faith,” Mr Moore said. 

“They’ve made it very clear they’re not going to accept 2 per cent.”

Mr Moore said the state government’s wage increase offer of 6 per cent over three years meant Tasmanian health professionals were left behind compared to other states. 

“We had a number of workers speak out [against the cap]. Allied health professionals made it very clear they have trouble recruiting and retaining staff.”

“Psychologists, for example, are nearly $10,000 worse off than other states.”

“Physiotherapists and occupational therapists are well behind their mainland counterparts, and the gap is just going to get further and further.”

Mr Moore said the gap is widened further by the allied health professionals need to move to the mainland for training and higher education needs. 

Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the proposed wage rise was non-negotiable. 

“The best way to deal with workload pressures is to employ more staff, which is what we have budgeted for,” Mr Gutwein said. 

“It needs to be understood that any increase above 6 per cent over three years impacts on our capacity to employ more nurses.”

Health Minister Michael Ferguson said no other state or territory devoted a larger percentage of their total budget to health than Tasmania. 

The action was organised with assurances there was no impact on patient safety.