A motion has been passed at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's (INMO's) annual delegate conference mandating the group's executive council to commence a ballot of members for strike action.
The INMO said the ballot is in response to the lack of progress on safe staffing levels.
If members vote in favour, industrial action will be staged in mid-September, with the Government once again being called to engage with the INMO over the issue.
"Nurses and midwives have waited long enough for legislated safe nurse and midwife staffing," INMO member Sarah Meagher, who is an Emergency Department nurse, said.
"We need to ensure at each healthcare facility has safe and effective staffing in place so we can provide the excellent safe care that we have been trained to provide.
"Staff are leaving because they cannot face working in locations with inappropriate staffing, in unsafe environments," Ms Meagher added.
