The relationship between Tasmania's public sector unions and the state government is under strain again.

At 10am today unions held a media conference to outline escalated action after the government had failed to respond to a deadline for a revised offer by 12pm yesterday.

Roz Madsen from the Australian Education Union told that conference, a letter from the government arrived to some unions just moments before which they had not had time to read.

"There is a deep feeling of disrespect, there was no need for this to occur, for a letter to be sent five minutes before a media conference, the deadline was clearly 12pm yesterday, we'd collectively written last week to confirm that deadline."

Andrew Brakey from the Nurses and Midwives Federation revealed they took action at the Royal Hobart Hospital this morning.

"We had a stop work meeting of theatres this morning, the government was well aware that was going to go ahead and unfortunately because of their show of disrespect with not providing an offer by midday yesterday, that action went ahead this morning."