Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) will be asked to vote on new proposals agreed at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) last night to avert strike action at seven hospital emergency departments today.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) and the INMO agreed to a raft of measures, including two extra days leave for existing nurses next year and in 2017, to compensate for breaks lost.

The union says strike action has been deferred pending the outcome of a ballot of nurses which will take place in the coming weeks.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny says he hopes the ballot will pas the package:

"I hope that the nurses and the unions will vote in favour of the package agreed at the WRC and that the plan to action [in January] will not arise."

There is also to be an overhaul of the way patients are prioritised in emergency departments, while new recruits will be eligible for a €1,500 bursary after one year in the job.

INMO General-Secretary Liam Doran says the proposals do not breach the public sector pay deal and it is up to nurses to decide whether or not to accept them.

"Absolutely not, we never went near, we never sought to breach the Lansdowne Road Agreement - these are measures to reflect the reassures within the emergency department, they do not in any way affect the pay and condition referred to in the Haddington Road" he said.

"Governments are not funding the health service; but what we had to do to our members was to try to make it more manageable in emergency departments and they will now decide whether it does".

"If they do they'll vote yes, if they don't they'll vote no - and the days of action will commence on the 12th of January" he added.

The announcement to cancel the strike came just after 11.00pm last night.

The INMO says its members will now consider the proposals, with consultation and balloting to be carried out in the next two to three weeks.

SIPTU's health divisional organiser is Paul Bell.

Stephen McMahon, CEO of the Irish Patients Association, says canceling elective surgeries as a way of easing overcrowding in hospitals is a short-term solution.

And he says it may actually lead to worse pressure on emergency departments.

But the HSE's national director of human resources, Rosarii Mannion, told Newstalk Lunchtime the answer has been found - albeit "late in the day".