Nurses have voted in favour of proposals to end their six-week campaign of industrial action.
The Irish Nurses Organisation, which represents the majority of nurses, said tonight that 54 per cent of its members had voted to accept the National Implementation Body's recommendations.
As a result, the INO said, its work-to-rule would officially end at 8am tomorrow.
The NIB's proposals allow for a 37.5 hour working week by June 2008 and the creation of an independent commission to examine the means by which a 35-hour week could be introduced without increasing costs.
The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) ballot is due on June 5th.
INO general secretary Liam Doran said the result now allowed the campaign for a 35 hour week and fair recognition for nurses and midwives enter a new procedural phase.
He said the INO would fight as hard through those procedures as it has done in the successful protest campaign which members have supported over the past six weeks.
Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney said the outcome was very encouraging, insisting the health service could deliver changes for patients that do not involve reduction in services or new cost for taxpayers.
Ms Harney said: "The proposals involve robust processes to address the claims by nurses in a spirit of fairness to patients, to nurses, to other health service workers and to taxpayers."
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern welcomed the outcome of the ballot, saying he looked forward to the successful implementation of the arrangements recommended by the NIB.
The head of the Health Service Executive Professor Brendan Drumm welcomed the decision, saying "the way forward agreed with the nursing unions is fair and balanced.
Prof Drumm said the result "gives us a solid platform upon which to expand and enhance the role of nurses and midwives during the coming years without reducing services to patients.
"I accept that implementing the NIB recommendation will be a complex and probably, at times, challenging exercise but I believe it will greatly support our four year Transformation Programme, "he added.
Nurses staged a number of work stoppages over the past six weeks in their search for a 10.6 per cent pay rise and a 35-hour working week.
Under the NIB's plan, the 10.6 per cent pay claim would be addressed through the benchmarking of agreeing public sector pay rates.
The nurses have received public support despite a claim by the Health Service Executive that the industrial action had led to 1,500 cancelled operations and was costing €3 million per week.
