Nurses working at the emergency department at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick are to hold a further work stoppage next week.
The trade union Siptu said that its members in the unit would stop work between 8.30am and 12.30pm next Wednesday, September 28th,
to highlight the unacceptable conditions for patients as a result of underfunding and under-staffing.
Nurses at the emergency department at the hospital held a similar four-hour stoppage yesterday.
Siptu's midwest nursing organiser, Jim McGrath, said: "Unfortunately due to the HSE management failing to indicate that they will enter into meaningful negotiations on alleviating the unacceptable conditions in the A&E department, the staff feel they have been left with no alternative but to undertake this industrial action."
"Staff are undertaking this work stoppage in order to make management respond to the deteriorating situation in the department due to underfunding, patient overcrowding and a shortage of nursing staff all of which has been exacerbated by the hospital reconfiguration programme."
Siptu nursing sector organiser, Louise O'Reilly, said there was a growing crisis in emergency departments around the country.