Direct negotations between health employers and unions representing nurses will begin on Wednesday morning.
The move follows a meeting this morning between the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), the Psychiatric Nurses' Association (PNA) and the National Implementation Body (NIB).
This morning's meeting was described as being "very constructive".
Wednesday will be the start of three weeks of talks to try and resolve the INO and PNA's demands, which include a a 10 per cent pay rise, a 35-hour week and a special allowance for those working in Dublin.
The new talks will involve all the nursing unions, including Siptu and Impact, which were not part of the dispute.
Nursing unions have warned the industrial action would resume if progress was not made at the talks.
At the meeting with the NIB today, the INO and PNA again stressed that it was determined to utilise the three weeks to make satisfactory progress on all of the priority issues that have led to the current campaign.
The joint strategy committee of the two unions will meet in an all-day session tomorrow to make preparations for the start of what INO general secretary Liam Doran described as "intensive negotiations" - which he was hopeful would lead to a successful outcome.