Fine Gael last night called on nurses to suspend their industrial action until after the general election, saying the escalation of their dispute would put patients at risk.
But Labour leader Pat Rabbitte refused to call on the nurses to call off their action, saying he was "sympathetic" to the nurses' demand for a 35-hour week. He called for the establishment of a forum to look at this in the context of wider health service reform.
Fine Gael health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey told The Irish Times that as long as the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, maintained the view that they wouldn't negotiate with the nursing unions over their pay and conditions claims, the nurses should defer their action until after the election.
"Escalating their industrial action will put more patients in danger. They should wait until after the general election. The grandstanding by both sides needs to stop."
Dr Twomey said if in government Fine Gael would work to build the nurses' trust in the processes through which their concerns could be sorted out. He said one problem was that benchmarking would not look at the issues of a 35-hour week and work practices.
"The nurses have lost trust in benchmarking and the processes. But there has to be a process of negotiation. We don't want to see a strike and I don't think it will go that far. It's a matter of building trust here and not putting patients' safety at risk," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Rabbitte called for a forum to be established to look at "badly needed" reforms and changes in the hospital service and "in the context of that I would be in favour of a 35-hour week being phased in as soon as possible".
In relation to the nurses' pay claim Mr Rabbitte said: "I don't know about the pay claim and I don't think I have to know about the pay claim. That is a matter that has to be put through the procedures that are there and let it be analysed on its merits."
Asked if he thought the nurses should abandon their plans for a work stoppage until after a forum was set up to look at reform, given that such a forum may not be established until after the election, he said: "There is no reason why a forum should take until after the election."
A Government spokesman said the Taoiseach was "watching the situation closely" but there was no basis for him to intervene given "the availability of various industrial relations mechanisms".