Staff at Banking 365 - Bank of Ireland’s 24-hour banking section - today served notice of industrial action in a dispute over payments related to the introduction of the euro.
The action is scheduled to begin early on December 28th.
A spokeswoman for Bank of Ireland said the offer to Banking 365 staff of £300 pro-rata was "fair, and reflected the quite different volumes of work facing branch staff". More than 380 staff work in the section.
Branch staff are to receive a flat rate of £750, a figure the bank claims reflects a range of issues including note and coin handling, increased security risks and health and safety issues".
However, Mr Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association, said the offer to Banking 365 staff falls short and does not adequately compensate staff for the increased volume of work.
He added because of the pro-rata rule, many part-time staff would see only a portion of the £300.
If the action goes ahead as planned Mr Broderick predicted "severe disruption for the estimated 278,000 users of Banking 365. He said 150 of Banking 365 staff were IBOA members.
A decision on the nature of the action will be decided by the IBOA executive committee this weekend. Both sides in the dispute this evening said they were available for discussions.