The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has called on nurses who staged protests in Galway and Limerick to accept Labour Court recommendations on pay increases and to take part in a new forum to discuss their demands for reduced working hours.
The appeal follows the announcement that up to 40,000 nurses will begin a work to rule in ten days' time unless their claims are addressed by management.
Ms Harney said a work to rule would not be in the best interests of patients or the health service.
Nurses from the Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association were involved in today's lunchtime protests.
The unions began industrial action last Monday with a protest in Cork, and further protests are planned for Dublin next Friday.
12 March protest
From 8am on Monday 12 March more than 40,000 nurses from the INO and PNA will begin their work to rule.
The INO General Secretary, Liam Doran, said all direct patient care would still be provided during the work to rule.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Doran said the action would be aimed at hitting administration and management systems.
Under the work to rule, nurses and midwives from both unions will be banned from carrying out clerical, administrative and IT work.
Nurses will not make or answer telephone calls except in essential circumstances.
They will not attend meetings with management at local and national level, except where an individual patient's care is concerned.
The INO and PNA say the work to rule will be carried out on a national and continuous basis and they will begin to roll out work stoppages, unless their claims are addressed.
