The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) this evening upped the stakes in its dispute with the government on staff numbers.

Union president Paul Pace told a rally that as from Monday nurses will not work in district health centres (bereg), which will be kept closed.

No new patients will be accepted at Zammit Clapp Hospital and St Vincent de Paule Home and beds which are extra to the wards will be removed.

At Boffa Hospital, no treatment will be given to patients where the nurses' ward complement is not full.

Nurses working in operating theatres will henceforth take their breaks on time.

Nurses will refuse to change the dressings of patients who are not in their wards, and patients will not be allowed to wait in pantries before being taken to surgery.

In all sectors, nurses are to work to rule.

Last week the union also ordered nurses to refuse non-nursing duties, a directive which brought non-emergency blood tests in health centres to a stand still. However no contacts between the government and the union had been held since.