Members of the public requiring birth, death and marriage certificates were turned away from the national register office in Dublin yesterday during a two-hour unofficial strike.
The action was taken by 35 employees in the Department of Health-controlled section which deals with all parts of the country outside Dublin.
Staff downed tools after beginning work yesterday morning in a dispute over conditions at Joyce House, the registry's premises at Lombard Street. They returned to work after an agreement was reached to set up a committee comprising workers and management to address their concerns.
An official of the Civil and Public Service Union, which represents the workers, said the action was "unofficial and spontaneous" but added that the reasons behind it had been the subject of union-management discussions since February.
Mr Paul McSweeney said staff were working in cramped and rundown conditions and promised improvements were long overdue.
"There is no hot running water at the moment and there hasn't been for some months, and there are a lot of loose wires hanging about. Staff are concerned about the health and safety implications."
He said an announcement by management yesterday that several thousand pounds would be made available to paint the exterior of the building was "the straw that broke the camel's back".
"There was a complaint from a nearby resident that the building was an eyesore and management responded to it but staff have been asking for a long time for improvements inside and got little or no response. They felt it was a total insult."
A spokesman for the Department of Health confirmed the dispute had arisen over "accommodation issues" which were being addressed.