The planned escalation of work stoppages by nurses' unions will not take place as planned after a breakthrough during informal talks with the National Implementation Body (NIB) this afternoon.
The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) agreed to talks involving Siptu before the NIB at Government Buildings tomorrow afternoon.
Members of the INO and the PNA are seeking a 10.6 per cent pay rise and the reduction in hours to a 35-hour week.
During talks today the NIB requested that the unions defer the escalation of work stoppages which were due to take place in 52 hospitals and other services across the State and return to the table for formal talks on their grievances tomorrow. The work to rule will continue.
"We didn't go in with any great optimism, to be honest, and we've come out with the reopening of talks which was as much as we could have expected from this afternoon," deputy general secretary of the INO Dave Hughes told ireland.comthis evening.
"Whether those talks will bear fruit depends on how hard we work on it and how hard the employers work on it."
Siptu's vice president Brendan Hayes welcomed the planned talks this evening, saying: "Siptu looks forward to participating in those discussions when they commence tomorrow afternoon."
Mr Hughes responded to claims made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today, that the dispute must be dealt with as part of the benchmarking process and that it would be impossible to "just arbitrarily" move to a 35-hour working week.
"There is give and take in this. It's not a one-sided deal, it's not just an arbitrary introduction of a 35-hour-week," said Mr Hughes. "In return we are prepared to offer an expanded roll for the nurse and midwife, which will provide significant improvements to our health service."
Speaking on Today FM this evening, Mr Ahern added that it would be costly because some 7.7 million hours of roster time would have to be replaced in the system if the working week was reduced.
He insisted the Government had taken a "consistent line" on the issues and said he had "no desire to get into any unnecessary rows".
"The big issue for now is maintaining and sustaining what we have achieved. The other side of it there is a large amount of public sector workers who are not paid large salaries," Mr Ahern said. "They have their grievances as well."
That was why benchmarking is a "fair, independent, audited mechanism" where people could come to the table to make a sustainable argument, the Taoiseach said.
Some 40,000 nurses are engaged in a work-to-rule action in health care facilities throughout the State.
The unions have engaged in a number of short work stoppages already but this week's plans for disruption far surpassed what had already taken place.
Fine Gael health spokesman Liam Twomey today called on the Government to view health issues as a priority for the remainder of the current Dáil.
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte said the Government "runs the risk of alienating nurses if the dispute is not settled soon".