Representatives from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) are to meet the Health Service Executive (HSE) ahead of a planned strike.

The two groups will meet for talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Wednesday afternoon.

The INMO said it hopes to engage "pro-actively", but added that there are still "no serious proposals on the table".

It is set to strike for 24 hours on Wednesday January 30th.

It will see INMO members withdraw their labour, providing only lifesaving care and emergency response teams.

The dispute centres on staff shortages, which the INMO said has been caused by low pay, leaving the public health service unable to recruit and retain enough nurses and midwives to safely care for patients.

"Nurses and midwives are the lowest-paid graduate professionals in the health service, earning thousands less than similarly qualified health professionals, despite having a longer working week", it said when announcing the strike.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) General-Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha (centre) | Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

INMO General-Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: "Going on strike is the last thing a nurse or midwife wants to do.

"But the crisis in recruitment and retention has made it impossible for us to do our jobs properly. We are not able give patients the care they deserve under these conditions.

"The HSE simply cannot recruit enough nurses and midwives on these wages.

"Until that changes, the health service will continue to go understaffed and patient care will be compromised."

This would be the second time in the INMO's history that its members have taken national strike action.

Nurses and midwives last engaged in strike action in 1999.

The union has said should the dispute go unresolved, there will be further 24-hour strikes on February 5th, 7th, 12th, 13th and 14th.