Fresh talks between health service employers and nursing unions under the auspices of the National Implementation Body have been adjourned. Talks are to resume at 11am tomorrow morning.
Earlier, Des Kavanagh of the Psychiatric Nurses Association said the two nursing unions would table a variety of proposals aimed at resolving the dispute over pay and working hours.
David Begg, a member of the NIB, said its function was to find a road map for the parties to resolve the dispute but it would not deal with the substantive issues.
The fresh talks followed more than five hours of separate discussions yesterday involving the Health Service Executive and the two main nursing unions.
The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association have agreed to suspend a planned escalation of one-hour work stoppages in more than 50 hospitals.
The stoppages were due to take place later this week.
However, the work-to-rule by nurses is continuing.
Earlier, Liam Doran, General Secretary of the INO, said a basis had been agreed for today's talks on the nurses' claim for a 35-hour week and 10.6% pay increase.
He said the negotiations would be hard and that the suspension of one-hour work stoppages would be kept under daily review.
