Sinn Féin have said the health system will not be able to cope if nurses go on strike.
95% of members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation voted in favour of industrial action yesterday in a row over pay and staff shortages.
The union’s executive will meet on January 7 to set dates for the 24-hour work stoppages.
Sinn Féin's Health Spokesperson Louise O'Reilly said there is still time for the Government to make things right.
Ms O'Reilly said: "This is the last resort for them, if they had an alternative they would not be doing this.
"So what I would be saying is there is still time. There is time for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, to step in and there is time for the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, to actually step up to the plate and address the recruitment and retention crisis that his government has created."
