The Irish Nurses Organisation is to hold a series of lunchtime protests outside hospital accident and emergency units to highlight continuing overcrowding problems.
The protests will start at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on 7 April, and will continue during April at other hospitals around the country.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the organisation's national executive today.
Last month, the INO's national executive deferred holding rolling lunch hour protests after what it says were commitments given by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney, that conditions in A&E units would improve.
However, the INO says that no easing of the A&E crisis has occurred and that the level of overcrowding has increased.
The organisation says there has been a daily average this month of 292 patients on trolleys awaiting admission to a bed.
The Health Service Executive disputes the INO's figures, however, saying that the numbers waiting for a bed on trolleys were much lower.
It says work has been progressing on the implementation of a 10-point plan for A&E services announced by Mrs Harney last November.
The plan includes measures to free up hospital beds for those awaiting admission.
