A meeting between unions and the Health Service Executive (HSE) on a staff hiring freeze ended in Dublin this evening without resolution.
The month-long recruitment freeze was introduced by the HSE at the start of September in order help balance the books but was met with anger by unions.
The freeze is due to be reviewed on Monday when it will be decided whether it will be extended or not. Unions and HSE management are to meet again on Monday ahead of a HSE board meeting.
The unions, incluiding the Irish Nurses Organisation and Impact, are to bring the issue to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). They claim the cutbacks are impacting on services delivered to patients.
A joint statement issued after the meeting today said: "Both parties confirm their commitment to the terms of the National Agreement Towards 2016 and the recommendations of the National Implementation Body (21 stSeptember)".
"The health service unions acknowledge the financial and legal obligations of the HSE to operate within its budget under the Health Act of 2004 and related collective agreements," the joint statement added.
Last week, the National Implementation Body (NIB) severely criticised the HSE over the manner in which it imposed the freeze, designed to tackle a €245 million financial deficit.
In a statement, the industrial relations body said the temporary ban on recruitment, as well as other cost-cutting measures, had been introduced without consultation and breached the latest social partnership agreement.
Health service unions representing about 100,000 staff, have urged members not to co-operate with HSE plans and are considering work stoppages and public demonstrations in protest at the cutbacks.
Both the Minister for Health Mary Harney and the HSE's chief executive Brendan Drumm said they did not accept that patient care would suffer as a result of the cutbacks. Ms Harney said every organisation had to live within its budget.