Senior Government, employer and union representatives will today begin attempts to avert a strike by 2,300 ESB workers, due to start on Monday.
The threatened action by the ESB Officers' Association has the potential to cause power cuts, particularly as fitters employed at power stations have pledged their support for the strike.
All the parties involved have been invited to meetings this morning with the National Implementation Body, which is seeking a formula to avert the strike. The NIB is made up of top level representatives of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the employers' body, IBEC, as well as senior Government officials.
ESB management, the ESBOA and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources are each due to meet the body today. It is then expected to issue a recommendation either later today or tomorrow.
ICTU general secretary Mr David Begg, a member of the NIB, said it would not be able to resolve all the issues at the centre of the dispute.
However, he hoped it would be in a position to produce a roadmap setting out how the issues, which were complex, could be addressed in renewed discussions. Mr Begg said a dispute involving power cuts would be "too appalling to contemplate", given the repercussions for the economy.
Talks between the company and the ESB group of unions on a pay claim and other issues broke down last month.
The group has sought an 18.5 per cent pay increase for members over the next three years, as well as a deal to allow the workforce to purchase a 20 per cent stake in the company. The issues have been complicated by a €510 million shortfall in the company's pension fund, with agreement yet to be worked out on how this should be addressed.
Unions balloted in May by a five-to-one majority to take industrial action in the event of structural or organisational change being imposed on workers without agreement. The ESBOA, however, which represents more than a quarter of the company's 8,000 staff, is the only one to have served notice of strike.
At a meeting last Friday, the group of unions agreed to adhere to a request by Mr Begg to maintain industrial peace until all avenues to explore a resolution had been exhausted.
A company spokesman said the union had not informed it of the type of industrial action planned, so he was unable to comment on what impact it might have. It is understood the company is examining contingency plans to try to minimise the effect on customers.
At recent meetings of the group of unions, the 250-strong ESB fitters' association, who are members of the TEEU and the AEEU, emphasised that it would support any action by the ESBOA.
The ESBOA has members employed at power stations so it is anticipated that, if pickets are placed at those locations, fitters will not pass them. This would cause inevitable disruption to power supplies.
A memo circulated to the ESBOA members this week indicated a hardline stance is being adopted. It says there will be "a complete withdrawal of labour by all ESBOA members" on Monday and that pickets will be placed from 9 a.m. that day.
The ESB spokesman said the strike threat by a single union was "totally unwarranted".
