Stormont's health department has responded following concerns over a "pitiful" proposed 1% pay rise for NHS workers in England.
A trade union in Northern Ireland warned a similar offer here would be a "slap in the face" to healthcare staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the British government is giving "as much as we can" after making the recommendation to the independent panel that advises on NHS salaries.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) branded it "pitiful", arguing instead for a 12.5% increase for its members.
The union has set up a fund for possible strike action.
Stormont's health department said it would not "pre-empt" pay review bodies' recommendations.
"Any decision on a pay award for NI health workers will be taken after the pay review bodies make their recommendations," it said in a statement.
"We do not intend to pre-empt those recommendations.
"Our pay award decisions can also only be taken in the context of a wider public sector pay policy set by the Department of Finance."
RCN's Northern Ireland director Pat Cullen said they would await the outcome of a pay review before considering their next steps.
But she said a similar 1% pay offer for nurses in Northern Ireland would be a "massive slap in the face".
She told the BBC: "We have submitted extensive evidence to the pay review body.
"What we're asking our local politicians and local political leaders is, please on this occasion, do not follow Boris Johnson and (Health Secretary) Matt Hancock's 1% - do the right thing.
"It would be absolutely unfair for any politician to think in Northern Ireland that a 1% pay award to our nurses here, when they have carried us through this pandemic, would be good enough. It is not good enough."
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