Over 100 nurses are to be recruited for a number of hospitals to tackle overcrowding.
The breakthrough was confirmed late last night and means the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has deferred industrial action planned for hospitals in the midwest this morning.
The extra nursing posts were secured during two separate hearings involving the Labour Relations Commission yesterday.
Agreements were reached which will see 70 nursing staff being taken on at the University Hspitals Group.
That includes University Hospital Limerick, Ennis, Nenagh and Croom Orthopaedic Hospitals.
As a result, the INMO has called off industrial action planned for the Mid West Group this morning.
39 staff are also being taken on at Naas General Hospital in County Kildare, and the INMO is recommending action planned for that facility tomorrow morning should also be called off for now.
The union is now demanding an aggressive recruitment campaign to have all of the posts filled immediately.
