The threat of a simultaneous air, bus and rail work stoppage next week remains this evening following a meeting of transport unions.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, was strongly criticised for failing to give sufficient assurances about the future of workers terms and conditions of work if plans to break up CIE and Aer Rianta are implemented.
Unions met today amid signs that a softening attitude after Mr Brennan this week publicly assured staff at both companies that their jobs would be not jeopardised by his plan.
But following today's meeting at Liberty Hall, the CIE joint strike committee and the Aer Rianta industrial action committee discussed a collective work-stoppage next Thursday to coincide with the arrival of EU home affairs and justice ministerd in Dublin for a major conference.
"They were highly critical of Minister Brennan's proposals and the anticipated negative impact they would have on their fellow workers," said SIPTU national industrial secretary Mr Michael Halpenny.
"They were also critical of the way in which the Minister and the Department of Transport have so far failed to deal with their members' concerns.
The Minister and the Taoiseach have both moved in the past week to assure wokers at the companies that their jobs were safe but SIPTU have sought clarification on nine points in relation to the plan to make Aer Rianta's airports at Dublin Shannon and Cork - three separate entities.
The Minister also intends to separate Bus Éireann, Iarnrod Éireann and Dublin Bus into autonomous entities.
Today's meeting criticised the absence of a response from Mr Brennan and his failure to arrange a date for a meeting with CIE workers after their talks process broke up in acrimony last week.
The committees will meet again soon to formulate a joint strategy and have not ruled out simultaneous industrial action, Mr Halpenny said.
The planned two-hour stoppage at Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports remains scheduled for next Thursday, January 22nd.