Members of the UNITE trade union are to ballot on taking industrial action at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda in a dispute over a range of issues including the use of outside contractors and health and safety matters.
The union has 295 members employed as hospital porters and support staff in the hospital.
The result of the ballot will be announced on Tuesday.
The ballot seeks a mandate for industrial action up to and including the withdrawal of labour.
That would have severe consequences for the hospital.
The union says it was in discussions with local management on a range of issues including health, safety, patient care as well as the use of contractors and agency staff since early this year.
A series of undertakings relating to the opening of the new multi-million-euro Emergency Department in the hospital have been ignored, according to Claire Keane, UNITE regional officer.
She claimed there was no willingness on management's part to engage with staff directly or through the Labour Relations Commission.
They were, said Ms Keane, being treated with complete lack of respect and are being ignored.
'Feelings are running high in the hospital and once the result of the ballot is known on Tuesday matters will escalate quickly if management are unwilling to engage with the genuine concerns we're seeking to address,' she warned.
