The Australian Nursing Federation will seek an order from the Fair Work Commission to take protected industrial action over the government's offer of a 2 per cent pay rise for four years.

Nurses had hoped to reach a compromise with the government after putting forward savings measures in exchange for a better wage offer.

But talks on Thursday failed to break the impasse.

Nursing federation ACT secretary Jenny Miragaya said nurses and midwives had given up most of their claims in an attempt to reach a compromise with the government.

Ms Miragaya said the government had "refused to listen to reason" and the stalemate had left the nursing workforce feeling "upset and completely undervalued".

"Our nurses and midwives recognised the economic difficulties that the ACT government is facing, and proposed a very reasonable counter offer," she said.

"However, it appears that the ACT Government does not wish to listen to reason and, if that is the case, our members are left with very little choice."

Nurses will lodge their application for industrial action with the commission on Friday.

Ms Miragaya said the union would continue to bargain but was not hopeful an agreement would be reached soon.

"After what the ACT Government has rejected, the ACT ANF is not sure when an agreement will be reached", Ms Miragaya added.

The ACT ANF originally sought a number of claims including a 4-year agreement with a 20% pay increase, along with improvements to rostering and night-shift penalty rates.

Thursday's announcement by ACT nurses comes after a day of strike action by Queanbeyan nurses.

The nurses walked off the job on Wednesday as part of state-wide strike action in New South Wales over the O'Farrell government's failure to guarantee nurse-to-patient ratios.

The nurses have vowed to continue striking with further industrial action planned for September.

ACT public service unions are also planning to rally at Saturday's ACT Labor conference to protest the 2 per cent offer.