The New South Wales State Government’s industrial relations proposals will attack the rights of more than 40,000 of the state’s nurses and midwives, according to the nurses union.

The New South Wales Nurses’ Association has joined a chorus of unions fighting the Coalition’s bill, which would pass the power to set wages and conditions for at least 300,000 public servants from the hands of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to the government.

The bill, now being debated in parliament, could affect the rights of nurses and midwives working for government departments, including NSW Health or Ageing, Disability and Homecare.

The nurses union called on members to rally this Friday in opposition to the bill, at locations ranging from Hurstville to Bathurst, Maitland, Rockdale and Penrith.

The union attacked the government plan in a print media advertisement before rallying outside Parliament House on Thursday.

"The NSW Nurses’ Association obviously rejects, unhesitatingly, the State Government’s claim that it has a mandate for this policy," the ad read.

The ad cited the NSW Nurses’ Association’s 2002 fight for better pay rates that the NSW Industrial Relations Commission upheld, which helped address a workforce shortage, attracting and retaining nurses and midwives to staff beds and services

"This special pay case delivered pay rates that helped restore nursing and midwifery as attractive career options," the ad read.

"Goodness only knows where our health services would be today without that historic NSW case and outcome.

"Achieving such important reforms of nursing and midwifery pay and conditions will be hard in the future if governments start dictating outcomes to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission."