The Irish Congress of Trade Unions says it intends to begin a campaign of action over pay and spending cuts beginning with protests on Friday 6 November.
The protests will take place in Dublin and in six other locations around the country.
The ICTU General Secretary David Begg said the action was being taken after the National Wage Agreement, which was ratified last year, had been reneged upon.
He said it was a case of pursuing a better alternative.
SIPTU President Jack O'Connor has called on his unions members to participate in the action.
Mr O'Connor said he could not stop any members from taking part in any industrial before that point.
Tthe campaign will not be suspended, even if the Government were to issue an invitation to further partnership talks.
It will only be called off it a worthwhile outline deal emerged from any such talks.
The executive council of the ICTU met this afternoon to finalise a co-ordinated strategy of opposition to the cuts.
Arriving for the meeting, Irish Nurses Organisation General Secretary Liam Doran said the object of campaign would be to protect both public and private sector workers from attacks on their pay and conditions.
He said the benchmark of success would be the protection of ordinary workers' living standards, and ensuring that they pay an equitable, rather than an unfair, share of the burden of the economic crisis.
Asked whether he thought the public would support the Congress campaign, he said workers are the public.
Mr Doran said Congress represented the public in the form of 650,000 workers and their families.
General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland John White said it was time for a careful reasoned approach.
He said that solo runs are not the way forward, but declined to comment on his union's recent decision to refuse to hold parent teacher meetings outside school hours.
General Secretary of the Irish Bank Officials Association Larry Broderick said no-one was talking about an all-out strike but he was sure the public would support the campaign.
Budget fears
Unions believe workers are being asked to pay too high a price in the Government's strategy to get the Exchequer finances back under control.
They fear that price could rise in the forthcoming Budget.
Two weeks ago, Congress decided to embark on a sustained, co-ordinated campaign of opposition to spending cuts in the McCarthy report.
They will also vigorously resist tax and pay cuts that would impact on their members and the more vulnerable in society.
Already SIPTU and IMPACT are preparing to ballot for industrial action.
Social Partnership
Meanwhile, Minister for Social & Family Affairs Mary Hanafin has said the money is not there to pay a 3.5% pay increase to health workers.
Ms Hanafin said that since the pay agreement was reached the financial and economic situation has changed considerably.
The minister said this was why unions need to have a realistic engagement with Government about the reform. She said efficiencies and savings needed to get the economy back on the road again.
Asked if Social Partnership is still alive, Ms Hanafin said it is a central part of the stability in the economy, about maintaining and attracting jobs into the country and about getting the economy back up and running again.
However, she said Social Partnership has to be carried out within the environment Ireland has now.
It has to be realistic, she said, and people have to sit down around the table as 'we need efficiencies, we need reform' and the public are demanding that.
