Nurses working on a private ward at St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin will begin industrial action today in a dispute over staffing levels.
Among the duties that will be affected are washing and turning patients, non essential clerical work and administering antibiotics. Nurses are said they will refuse to answer phones as part of the work to rule.
The 16-bed St Clare's Ward was opened in recent months to group private patients together who are admitted through A&E.
The dispute centres on the removal of a care attendant from the night shift in the ward.
The Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) said it was agreed the unit would be staffed at night by two nurses and one care attendant.
A lunch-time protest will be held by nurses in the ward followed by a work-to-rule.
The INO said initially the action would be confined to St Clare's Ward but could spread if the dispute was not resolved.