COMMUNITY employment schemes and training courses for 58,000 people could be affected by a dispute involving SIPTU and the state training agency, FAS.
Yesterday, SIPTU's 2,000 staff at the agency voted by a substantial majority to reject a restructuring deal offering increases of between 6.5 and 29 per cent.
The proposals were brokered by a former president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Phil Flynn. The director general of FAS, Mr John Lynch, said he was disappointed but did not anticipate any disruption to courses, at least in the short term.