Washing and turning patients are among the activities which nurses in a ward for private admissions at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin say they will not perform from Tuesday unless a care attendant is restored to the night shift.
St Clare's Ward was opened in recent months to group private patients together who are admitted through A&E.
The Irish Nurses' Organisation says it was agreed that the 16-bed unit would be staffed at night by two nurses and one care attendant.
The care attendant has been withdrawn and the INO says that unless this is reversed, nurses in the ward will hold a protest at lunch-time next Tuesday and will then commence a work-to-rule.
The INO says management has denied there was ever an agreement to have a care attendant permanently on the ward at night and that this has incensed its members.
St Vincent's University Hospital is expected to make a statement on the issue later today.
According to Mr Philip McAnenly, industrial relations officer for the INO, a work-to-rule would involve a refusal by nurses to perform care attendants' duties, clerical work and duties which used to be performed by doctors but were taken over by nurses. The range of duties affected would include turning and washing patients, administering bed pans, performing ECGs and administering intravenous antibiotics.
Initially the action would be confined to St Clare's Ward but could spread if the dispute was not resolved, he said. The opening of the ward provoked controversy on the grounds it favoured private patients. The hospital denied this saying it was simply grouping private patients in private beds.