Talks between nurses and the HSE get underway at the Workplace Relations Commission this morning.
The discussions are aimed at averting industrial action in the row over overcrowding in Accident & Emergency Departments.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation plans to strike in A&Es at seven hospitals on December 15 - with another day of action planned for the New Year.
The INMO has published figures this morning which reveal a 24% increase in the number of people on trolleys in A&Es between January and November when compared with the same period last year.