NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard met with the union on Monday, in what Brett Holmes, General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association said amounted to an "agreement to talk" without "concrete" commitments from the government.
Mr Holmes said Mr Hazzard was open to discussions about "fixing the current system" and said he would speak to Treasury about improving nurse wages.
"The agreement to talk is all very well. Our members have passed that – they've indicated very clearly they want action," Mr Holmes said.
"There was nothing to us in concrete terms around improved wages," Mr Holmes said. "Neither was there any concession about the current government's moves to remove some of the protections … with regard to workers being exposed to COVID-19."
He said Mr Hazzard indicated he "won't talk" about establishing patient-to-staff ratios in hospitals.
The union has a clear set of demands, including nurse to patient ratios in every hospital, a withdrawal of a section in the Workers' Compensation Act requiring workers to prove they caught COVID-19 at work, and a pay rise of more than 2.5 per cent.
Tuesday's strike will impact 150 public hospitals when nurses strike from 7am.
The timing and length of the action will vary from hospital to hospital and skeleton staff will remain at work to ensure patient care.
Mr Holmes previously said it was "really painful" for nurses to take strike action but they had to send a strong message to the premier.
NSW paramedics will join the strike on Thursday, after members of the Australian Paramedics Association voted almost unanimously to join the industrial action and implement a 24-hour statewide ban on staff movement.
Staff movement is the practice of relocating staff from their station to fill 'roster gaps' nearby.
The union says staff movements are routinely used by NSW Ambulance to cut costs and avoid adequately staffing stations.
"Paramedics are exhausted, frustrated, and burnt out," APA NSW President Chris Kastelan said on Monday.
The union has been calling for more resources - including 1500 more paramedics - as the health system strains under the burden of the two-year pandemic.
"But our pleas are falling on deaf ears," Mr Kastelan said.
"This government will happily pay lip service to thanking frontline workers, but when push comes to shove they aren't prepared to properly support us, or pay us what we're worth."
On Monday NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet praised health workers and said talks between the union and the government were ongoing.
"Our health workers have worked tirelessly over two years, many are exhausted, they have done an amazing job providing love, care and support for the people of our great state over two long years," Mr Perrottet said Monday.
"There's a number of issues that need to be resolved, there are a number of issues that are up for discussion and the health minister continues to work through that and continues to keep me advised on how those issues are progressing."
NSW opposition leader Chris Minns said the likely loss of a seat for the government at Saturday's by-elections was a message the premier "needed to listen to frontline health workers".
"He's not having meaningful dialogue and communication which with the people who have been the heroes of the pandemic," Mr Minns said.
"At the moment the best I can tell he's offering absolutely nothing, even though they've gone through hell over the last few months."
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