Unions representing staff at the National Ambulance Service (NAS) are meeting with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Department of Health.

The talks are aimed at averting strike action planned for next Wednesday.

SIPTU says the dispute is over a management failure to implement Labour Court recommendations, honour national public service pay agreements and resource the ambulance service.

The industrial action will affect all grades of workers in the National Ambulance Service - however if the strike goes ahead, contingency measures will be put in place.

"The Department of Health has allowed the ambulance service to drift into the situation where our members will withdraw their labour, apart from emergency cover, from Wednesday, 10th August," SIPTU says.

"The fact that the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, has remained indifferent throughout this dispute is totally unacceptable," it adds.

SIPTU health division organiser Paul Bell says workers have been waiting too long for compensation packages due to them.