Hundreds of striking Victorian pathology staff will return to work following the state's government's move to terminate industrial action amid patient safety concerns.
Up to 600 Dorevitch Pathology staff walked off the job on Friday in response to the company's lock out of some workers following protected industrial action earlier in August.
But the Health Workers Union said it had instructed employees to return to work on Thursday following the government's application to the Fair Work Commission to terminate the industrial action.
"The industrial action, which is already causing delays in pathology services and patient diagnosis, is threatening patient safety and welfare," Industrial Relations Minister Natalie Hutchins said in a statement.
The return to work was "an act of good faith", a union spokesman said.
Almost 90 staff locked out by Dorevitch following protected industrial action in early August would also return to work, the union said.
The end of industrial action follows the departure of Dorevitch Pathology boss Neville Moller.
But the circumstances of Mr Moller's departure, confirmed on Wednesday, remain unclear.
The union claimed Dorevitch workers were the lowest paid pathology workers in the country and had not had a pay rise since 2007.
Dorevitch provides pathology services to 32 Victorian public health services, 29 of them in regional areas.
Primary Healthcare, which owns Dorevitch, recently posted a $92 million profit.
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