The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has pulled out of talks with the HSE West at the Labour Relations Commission.
The negotiations centre on €65 million worth of proposed cutbacks.
But the INMO says it is no longer taking part in the LRC talks pending a full Labour Court hearing because of a new row over the replacement of student nurses.
Deputy General Secretary Dave Hughes says the health service in the west is in danger of collapse.
“370-plus students will be leaving the West of Ireland this week – they would normally be replaced on a 2-to-1 basis by qualified nurses for the next 16 weeks” he said.
“They don’t intend replacing them so the effect is that the scale of the cutbacks in the West will be burdened completely almost on nurses and midwives and patients”.
“The system would just break down completely” he added.
