ONE in every four beds will be closed at Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital from today as part of a statewide industrial action.

More than 4000 Victorian public sector nurses yesterday voted unanimously to begin the action following a lengthy pay dispute with the State Government.

The industrial action also includes:

the cancellation of one in every four operating theatre sessions;

the closing of three beds in each unit to cater for emergency admissions; and

a range of bans in community nursing, mental health services and residential aged care.

Nurses and midwives made the decision at a Australian Nursing Federation stopwork meeting in Melbourne yesterday.

The industrial action can only be lifted by a further statewide meeting of ANF members.

Victorian nurses are seeking a minimum wage increase of six per cent a year over three years plus improvements to the existing ratio laws.

The State Government is instead offering a pay rise of 3.25 per cent per year over five years.

"Nurses feel they have no choice but to take industrial action to get the government to listen to their concerns and to get the government involved in productive discussions," ANF (Victorian branch) secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick

said.

"The public is already experiencing delays in our public health system because it is under pressure and understaffed, and this industrial action may cause further delays but nurses will not endanger the public."

Ballarat Health Services media and communications manager Luke Mullane yesterdayntstuesnte said the hospital was awaiting further details on the industrial action.

"It is anticipated the bans will have a significant impact upon Ballarat Health Services and we ask patients for tolerance," he said in a media statement to The Courier.

"Ballarat Health Services will continue to have open communication with the nursing staff and union while the negotiations continue . . . (and) will continue to keep the public up to date as more information comes to hand."