More than 100 nurses staged a walkout yesterday at one of the State's largest psychiatric hospitals.
The SIPTU members left their posts for an hour at St Senan's Hospital in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, in a dispute over the management style of a senior staff member.
They plan to repeat the action tomorrow and hold an all-out strike from Monday if the situation is not resolved.
It's understood staff members have made a number of complaints against the senior staff member concerned, who denies the allegations.
A spokeswoman for the South Eastern Health Board said the walkout had caused no disruption to hospital services.
"Patient care was not compromised, nor will it be compromised by this dispute."
She declined to comment on the issues at the centre of the dispute but said the board was "working with all parties" to try to resolve it.
A SIPTU representative could not be contacted for comment.
St Senan's has 213 beds and is the biggest of five psychiatric hospitals in the south-east.
It offers acute, long-stay and respite care; addiction counselling services; outpatient services throughout Wexford and community hostel and day-care facilities.