Management at two Dublin hospitals have refuted claims from the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) that nurses were intimidated during their lunchtime protests.
Earlier today the union said it had written to the acting chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to lodge a formal complaint over alleged incidents of intimidation over the past few days.
A spokesman for Beaumont Hospital said: "Elected members of unions within Beaumont are liberty give media interviews and this has never been in question. All staff are free to engage in lawful activity, including protests outside the hospital during their breaks, if they so choose, and that has never been in question either." The INO is due to hold a lunchtime protest outside Beaumont Hospital on Thursday.
Management at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown also denied the allegation saying: "There is no substance whatsoever to these suggestions."
The INO said that in the letter to Mr Kevin Kelly it had pointed out that consultant staff were free to give interviews, and identify their workplace.
Liam Doran, general secretary of the INO, said management at three Dublin hospitals - Tallaght being the other one - had sought to intimidate nursing staff into not giving media interviews or participating in the hospital lunchtime protests on overcrowding in A&E wards.
The INO said it was aware of incidents when certain hospital managers had advised staff in "subtle ways" that the hospital or the staff members' best interests would not be best served by highlighting the situation or holding the protests.
Mr Doran claimed the problem was at particular Dublin hospitals, and alleged that some managements were attempting to stop the staff identifying the particular medical facility.
Nurses continued their lunchtime protests at outside St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin and Limerick Regional Hospital today.
In a brief statement the HSE also refuted the claims and said it recognises the right of staff to protest and to speak to the media as a member of their union.