Nurses are to provide emergency cover in the event of next week's planned industrial dispute going ahead.
The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said they had given a guarantee at a meeting at the Labour Relations Commission yesterday that essential care would be provided to patients should the planned work stoppages take place.
Health service employers indicated at the meeting that they would pay for such emergency cover provided that it was administered through nursing management.
However, a spokesman for the Health Service Executive (HSE) said the talks at the Labour Relations Commission had been "unfruitful" in relation to the issue of the provision of notice of the nature and extent of the planned action.
The spokesman said that the HSE was disappointed that the nursing unions would not provide any information on the scope, extent and timing of the proposed industrial action.
Health service management has said this policy could lead to services such as out-patient appointments being cancelled at the 11th hour.
INO general secretary Liam Doran said last night that it had again asked management for details of other nursing staff who would be working during any dispute, but that this had not been provided.
The nursing unions said they would notify management prior to the commencement of any stage of the industrial action, and provide details of a local committee which would agree and co-ordinate all necessary contingency plans at local level.
Mr Doran said there had been no negotiations with management on the substantive issues at the heart of the dispute.
The unions, representing 40,000 nurses and midwives, are seeking a 10 per cent pay rise, the introduction of a 35-hour week and a special allowance for those working in Dublin.
"The INO and PNA are again calling for immediate discussions on the major grievances felt by our 40,000-plus nurses and midwife members. In calling for these discussions we will come to the table with an agenda for reform in return for making progress on our claims, some of which have been outstanding for over 27 years," the unions stated.
