The Communications Workers Union (CWU) has decided "in principle" to serve seven days' strike notice on Eircom at a meeting of the union's National Executive this afternoon, ireland.comunderstands.
CWU general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick
However, the union has decided to postpone the issuing the strike notice until after a meeting with representatives of the company tomorrow.
The meeting of the executive is ongoing, and it is not clear as yet what form any strike would take. A ballot of the 5,000 members of the CWU found 96.7 per cent support for industrial action.
Once the meeting ends, the executive is expected to inform the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions of its decision.
If the strike goes ahead it will be the first full industrial action at Eircom in 30 years.
Babcock & Brown, which owns Eircom, is withholding a 2 per cent pay increase due under the Towards 2016 national wage deal until the unions sign a "memorandum of understanding" (MoU) with the company.
The MoU relates to work practice changes that Eircom's Australian owners wish to implement.
There are three other, smaller, unions at the company, and these have already voted to strike.
A spokesman for Eircom yesterday repeated that a written understanding would have to be arrived at before the 2 per cent would be paid.
CWU general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick said his union and its members in Eircom "have worked in partnership with Eircom's management since its initial privatisation".
"The fact that the company now chooses to abandon a partnership approach in favour of hostile actions is regrettable, and I am absolutely confident that we will receive the full payment due to Eircom workers, with retrospection as due under the Towards 2016 agreement."
It is thought likely that the LRC will call in both sides and seek to facilitate a settlement.