The nurses have accepted an interim proposal that authorises emergency nurses to call an additional experienced nurse if the emergency department's nine or six cubicles are significantly occupied by patients or if nurses believe patient care or safety is compromised by high workloads.
Normally emergency department nurses would need management to authorise an additional nurse in this situation.
Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) Assistant Secretary Paul Gilbert said: "The nurses and midwives were ready to take action but want ANF to pursue all avenues of negotiation to resolve this dispute and have accepted this interim proposal while we continue to negotiate with management.
"The emergency nurses are sceptical about the plan working, but industrial action is a last resort and they are willing to give management another chance to demonstrate its bone fide intentions," Mr Gilbert said.
"A three-month trial of the new staffing arrangement will begin today and will be reviewed weekly by a committee comprising management, emergency department nurses and ANF," Mr Gilbert said.
Nurses will meet again urgently to consider taking action in the event the new staffing arrangement is not working or if the hospital management renege on its commitment.
