The nurses strike features on most of the front pages this morning as representatives from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are scheduled to meet with the HSE this afternoon. The talks at the Workplace Relations Commission are aimed at averting planned strike action, the first of which is due to take place one week from today.

The Journal focuses on the upcoming industrial action by search-and-rescue service helicopter pilots which is set to take place from midday on Thursday. The pilots, who are members of Fórsa's IALPA branch are taking action as a result of a dispute on rostering issues.

Up to 500 members of the National Ambulance Service Representative Association (Nasra), which is a branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) staged a 10-hour work stoppage yesterday in a dispute over trade union representation rights and the deduction of union subscriptions at source. Health service management has warned ambulance staff however, that they would be breaching the current public service agreement and face potential “consequences” as a result of going on strike.

In Brexit news, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that a temporary safeguard to avoid erecting a physical border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit would serve no purpose. In an interview to newspapers Le Monde, Rzeczpospolita and Luxemburger Wort, Mr Barnier said the current backstop proposal over the border was the only option on the table.

The gender pay gap is making headlines this morning following a report examining equal pay at the BBC. Women at the BBC continue to be paid "far less" than men for the same work according to the report. It is claimed the corporation has failed to fully tackle or acknowledge the problem of "unacceptable" discrimination. An inquiry into pay practices last year found the BBC to have an "invidious culture" of discrimination against women, and there were demands for action over inequality.

In property news, an Irish company has secured €100 million in funding to buy up distressed mortgage loans with a view to keeping people in their homes on a sale-and-leaseback basis. Arizun said its new “Stay in Your Home” scheme provides a way out of mortgage arrears for middle-income earners who do not qualify for Government support.

The Zombies bring us our Zen this morning following the death of bassist Jim Rodford, who died on Sunday aged 76 just days after his final performance. The Guardian features a lovely piece on the musician, whose career spanned decades.