Health service managers were yesterday urged to engage in immediate talks with nursing unions to prevent a wave of industrial action.
The call from Liam Doran, general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), came as a ballot of some 40,000 nurses on industrial action comes to a close.
The result of the ballot of members of the INO and the Psychiatric Nurses Association will be announced on Friday. It seems almost certain that the result will be in favour of industrial action.
Nurses are seeking a 10.6 per cent pay rise and a 35-hour working week. Their claim was turned down by the Labour Court late last year.
"If our members vote in favour of the plan then a phased timetable of industrial action will be announced on Friday.
"This is not necessary and can and should be avoided by health service management engaging immediately in constructive negotiations," said Mr Doran.
If approved, industrial action would include lunch-hour protests, work-to-rule and labour withdrawal. The unions say it will provide emergency cover if industrial action occurs but insist members be paid for this.
Brendan Mulligan, assistant chief executive of the Health Service Executive Employers Agency, said he agreed there was no need for industrial action.
"We have no desire to have any dispute with nurses. We would ask the unions to accept the recommendations of the Labour Court and have their pay claims progressed through the public service benchmarking body.
"And, secondly, in relation to the 35-hour week, the Labour Court has also proposed a framework whereby it may be possible to effect a reduction in the working hours of nurses within the context of discussions on a modernisation and change agenda involving other groups."
He confirmed no talks between the sides were scheduled between now and the end of the week.