The dispute between student nurses and the HSE has been referred to the Labour Court.
Both sides entered talks at the Labour Relations Commission yesterday in a bid to resolve the row over pay cuts.
Fourth-year student nurses and midwives are set to have their pay phased out by 2015 under new rules from the HSE.
SIPTU and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have hit out at the HSE for what they say is its refusal to reveal who made the decision.
The INMO says it will ballot its members on industrial action if the issue is not resolved to their satisfaction.