A strike by up to 1,200 network technicians at the ESB was formally called off last night at an emergency meeting of their union, the ATGWU.
The decision to end the action, the first major strike at the State electricity company since 1991, followed an intervention on Wednesday by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu).
An Ictu proposal recommending a return to work was accepted at the meeting in Dublin of the ATGWU's network technicians' executive committee.
The strike was over the extent to which external contractors are involved in a €3.6 billion programme to upgrade and modernise the company's network.
Union official Brendan Ogle said the Ictu document provided for negotiations on the issue that had not been on offer up to now.
"Having honoured the mandate of our members to fight for the jobs of all our members concerned, we will be writing to the ESB to confirm that this dispute is now over and that our members will return to work at 8am ," he said.
The strike had caused little disruption to ESB services but lead to an acrimonious row between the ATGWU and two other unions representing network technicians, the TEEU and Siptu.
Mr Ogle's reference to "blackleg labour" - in response to the other unions' decision to encourage members to work during the strike - damaged inter-union relations.
Following a meeting with leaders of the three unions on Wednesday, Ictu said all had agreed on the "urgent imperative of restoring good relations between all unions in the ESB".
Asked what had been achieved, Mr Ogle said the union had secured a starting date of October 12th for negotiations on the use of contractors and other issues. This would undoubtedly be disputed by the ESB, which had been due to meet unions on that date in any event, and offered last Friday to bring the talks forward to Monday of this week if the strike threat was withdrawn.
Mr Ogle said last night, however, that those talks were to have been held under the terms of the Pact, a partnership deal negotiated at the ESB in 2001. His union was seeking negotiations on a new agreement and this had been achieved, he claimed.
About 1,700 external contractors are employed by ESB Networks, which operates the ESB's State-wide distribution system, with some 2,200 staff technicians.
The use of contractors was agreed by unions under the Pact.
The ATGWU claims a number of ESB apprentices are unable to secure jobs with the company because of the extent to which outside contractors are being used.
Mr Ogle said last night the apprentices issue would be "dealt with going forward".
