The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland has decided to revert to the €100 registration fee for nurses, to allow for talks with nursing unions on resolving the controversy over its fee increase to €150 for this year.
The decision follows a meeting of the board today.
Nursing unions have insisted that the €100 fee must be restored to facilitate further talks.
The NMBI had said it is a self-funding organisation with no other sources of income, other than the annual retention fee to support its growing statutory obligations under law.
Members of the INMO, SIPTU and the Psychiatric Nurses' Association have held protests to try and get the board to reverse its decision.
Nursing unions said the NMBI sought to impose the increased fee, without any prior consultation, since 1 January, following a 12% increase in the fee imposed in 2014.
They asked members to pay €100, which is last year's fee.
Unions have also accused the board of trying to intimidate nurses by issuing notices saying nurses and midwives cannot work if they are not on the register.
The three nursing unions say that the health service cannot operate without nurses and midwives.
