The deadlock between the General Workers' Union (GWU) and the Health Division has been broken as the union agreed to lift its industrial action while the government agreed to meet the union.

The industrial action was lifted at midnight last night and the government and Public Entities Section and the Health Division will meet today.

The two sides were in dispute after the GWU demanded that all nursing aides should be upgraded to salary scale 13, health assistants and care workers should be given an adequate premium and demanded a better roster.

The government had maintained that nursing aides should not be upgraded to salary scale 13 as this was reserved for nurses, while care workers would land a Lm195 yearly premium as of next January.

The impasse was further exacerbated when the GWU ordered nursing aides, health assistants, care workers and assistant care workers at all hospitals and health centres not to carry out any work other than to distribute food and coffee or tea. They were also told not to carry out any work related to Mater Dei Hospital, while those working in health centres were ordered not to handle medical files or X-rays and to stop making appointments.