The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has passed an emergency motion on cost-of-living pressures on nurses and midwives.
The union's annual conference in Dundalk heard that nurses and midwives do not have the option of working from home and cannot be out of pocket.
Many must use their own car to deliver essential care, especially public health nurses, and face rising fuel and running costs.
The motion calls on the Government to agree extra measures for nurses and midwives financially, including measures to deal with the fuel crisis.
Nurses say many also face huge challenges in rent and accommodation costs.
The union represents around 50,000 nurses and midwives.
It said that in the event of a delay in implementing cost of living measures, the INMO should consider all options, up to and including industrial action.
It has also called for the full implementation of the local bargaining clause of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026 as a matter of urgency.
INMO President Caroline Gourley told the conference that nursing is a safety-critical profession, which is completely dependent on sufficient qualified and skilled nurses and midwives.
She said that staffing and skills are the basic tools to provide patients with a safe level of care.
Ms Gourley added that nurses and midwives cannot provide safe care when the first port of call in every health budget over run is to stop essential recruitment.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill addressed delegates at the conference this morning.
She said the Health Service Executive needs to demonstrate it is in charge of its Budget, as a move to multi-annual budgets is being considered.
She told delegates that if the service is overspending on agency staff, it is not filling vacant posts.
She said that over recent years the HSE has undergone a reset and that today 93,000 nurses and midwives are registered to work in the health system.
