A no vote to the Croke Park pay deal does not mean industrial action, according to Liam Doran, General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
At the start of the union's three-day annual conference in Co Meath, Mr Doran said that balloting on the deal will begin next week and will take around three weeks to complete.
The INMO's Executive is recommending rejection of the deal and will publish alternative proposals for health service savings tomorrow.
Opposition to the pay deal and anger over the health service staff recruitment moratorium are set to dominate the conference in Trim.
Over 50 motions are up for debate by 320 delegates, who are representing the organisation's over 40,000 members.
Nurses say that under the Croke Park proposals, 6,000 frontline posts would be lost from the health service over the next three years.
They also say there is little likelihood of the 4,800 nurses and midwives who will graduate during the same period securing a post in Ireland.
Minister for Health Mary Harney will address delegates on Friday.
