Members of the country's largest public sector union Impact have narrowly failed to approve participation in next week's planned national day of industrial action by the required two-thirds margin.
A total of 65 per cent of Impact members approved of taking part in the one-day strike. However, under the union's rules a 66 per cent majority is required.
The union's executive council is to meet tomorrow to decide what action to take at this stage. It is expected to examine the rule requiring the two-thirds majority to see if there is any discretion on the issue.
A spokesman for Impact refused to rule out participation in the day of strikes next Monday, which is being organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu).
The day of strikes has been called in protest at the Government's handling of the economy and the failure of some employers including the Government to pay wage increases agreed under the national deal negotiated last autumn.
Ictu said today the planned action for March 30th was part of a campaign targeting "rogue employers who refuse to either pay the terms of the national agreement or to engage with union".
Following a meeting of its private sector committee, Ictu said a "significant number" of employers in the private sector had already agreed to pay in accordance with agreed terms,
But committee chairman Jerry Shanahan said Ibec had unilaterally "walked away" from the terms of the national agreement. He said the March 30th protest was a "day of protest and action by workers throughout the economy - public and private - about non-compliance with the agreement".
"It is important to note that this is only more one step in the Congress campaign to secure compliance." Mr Shanahan said the nature of the protest would be decided at a meeting of the Executive Council of Congress on March 25th.
This morning, employers body Ibec called for fresh talks on negotiating a new national pay deal and asked unions to call off the day of action.
Following balloting, the Unite trade union announced today it had served notice of strike action on a number of employers including New Ireland Assurance, Enterprise Ireland, Glaxo Smithkline Beecham, the Health Service Executive, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and Aer Lingus.
“It was the Government and the employer representative groups that walked away from their own agreement,” said Unite Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly.
“A substantial number of employers themselves have agreed to pay while others are involved in the agreed procedures. . . Surely those employers who have done the right thing should be encouraging others to do likewise, not to withdraw,” he said.
“Industrial action of this nature is a last resort and is only being called on those rogue employers who could have but have failed to implement the national agreement.” added Mr Shanahan, also National Officer for Unite.
“Many companies are fully compliant and in cases where there are real issues, the employers have engaged with Unite to work through solutions.The day of action was never intended to target them and none of the employees at those companies have been balloted.”
The Technical Electrical and Engineering Union (TEEU) also served strike notice today on the Government and the other main employer bodies, including Ibec.
TEEU general secretary-designate Eamon Devoy said if the Government failed to enter talks, there will be "unprecedented disruption" across the country, with only emergency services guaranteed.
“Everyone knows that it is a national strike and there are no precedents for this,” Mr Devoy said. “There is only a week left for the Government and employers to enter into talks on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ 10-point plan for a Social Pact and honour the terms of the national agreement they freely entered into last September."
The union said 90 per cent of its 45,000 members voted in favour of the Ictu plan and 80 per cent for industrial action. It added that strike action on March 30th would not take place in companies that have honoured the terms of the wage agreement.
The TEEU has also indicated that staff in some private sector companies have voted not to take part.
“We have to take this action because of the failure of the Government and the employer bodies to heed the national day of protest on February 21st," Mr Devoy of the TEEU said. This day of protest in Dublin was attended by over 150,000 people.
Employers body Ibec has called for fresh talks on negotiating a new national pay deal and asked unions to call off a day of action next Monday that threatens to bring chaos to airports and other services.
Ibec director general Turlough O’Sullivan this morning called on unions to call off industrial action, which he said would “send a very negative signal” at a time Ireland’s reputation was suffering across the world.
Mr O'Sullivan said employers were open to negotiating a new pay agreement. Employers walked away from the last pay deal because "it had become completely inappropriate to the economic circumstances in which we find ourselves," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. He said all sides have to come together to find solutions to Ireland's problems and make job retention a top priority.
Ibec has said that any new deal would have to involve a pay pause for a significant duration. However, crucially, it has said that it would not stand in the way of employers who were in a position to pay the wage increases under the current deal. Ibec had previously called for this agreement to be deferred indefinitely.
Passengers intending to travel through Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports face considerable disruption on March 30th following a decision by staff to stage an eight-hour work stoppage. Siptu said that its members at the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), including fire and security personnel, would strike from 4am to midday on Monday.
The strike would mean that no aircraft would land at or take off from the three airports over the eight-hour period.
In a statement released this evening, Siptu said the DAA's suggestion to attend the Labour Relations Commission but not commit to claiming an inability to pay was unanimously rejected by Siptu's DAA section.
The DAA said it was “disappointed” at the action, which it said was “inappropriate” pending talks at the Labour Relations Commission on the financial recovery plan under which the company is seeking to defer the pay rises.
Teachers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action last week for the day of protest, which could include strike, while nurses have also backed the Ictu plan.
Elsewhere, Siptu today said its vice president had put out a statement saying he does receive any payments from involvement on the Commission on Taxation.
"Following media reports that membersof the Commission on Taxation are paid close on €700 per day where a commitment of more than half a day’s attendance is required, and €350 for less than half a day, Siptu Vice President Brendan Hayes has issued a statement advising all union members that he receives nothing for his services to the commission," Siptu said.