Maternal and child health nurses in a regional Victorian city are cancelling up to 50 appointments a day in their fight for a four percent pay rise.

Nurses in Ballarat have banned client visits above the 12-month age, are refusing to carry out all immunisations and are holding daily stop work meetings as part of the bans.

Enterprise bargaining negotiations between the Australian Nursing Federation Victorian branch and the City of Ballarat began 12 months ago.

The parties have agreed on all aspects of a new agreement except wages, with council offering a 3.6 percent pay rise per year – equivalent to $32 a week.

ANF Victorian branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the nurses were already paid between 8.5 and 11.5 percent less than nurses at other councils and without a 12 percent wage rise would continue to fall "further and further behind".

"Maternal and child health nurses play an invaluable role in the health and wellbeing, and sometimes the safety, of new mothers and their babies and toddlers," she said.

"The nurses are taking action as a last resort because Ballarat City Council’s penny pinching refuses to acknowledge the experience and skills of these nurses and the importance of the frontline health service they provide to the Ballarat community.

"By refusing a fair wage rise the council will have difficulty maintaining and expanding this service as the region’s population grows because it won’t be able to recruit and retain these highly qualified nurses."

The City of Ballarat has stated it will pursue "a reasonable level of wage rise that does not cause additional hardship to all".

"This offer, while more than council’s budget, can be delivered without cuts to services or increases to rates and is a reasonable offer to our employees," it said in a statement.