Eircom customers could soon face service disruption if last-ditch talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) today fail to avert industrial action in a dispute over pay.
The dispute centres on management linking a two per cent pay increase due under the national wage agreement in May to changes in work practices.
The Communciations Workers' Union (CWU) served the mandatory seven-day strike notice last Thursday saying they would not discuss productivity until the pay rise had been implemented.
Eircom maintain they are entitled to seek the work practice changes.
Steve Fitzpatrick general secretary of the CWU said
It is understood the company will today respond to proposals put forward on Monday by the LRC aimed at heading off industrial action.
The talks are scheduled for 3.30pm and could go on well into the evening. The strike notice is due to be served at midnight.
A spokesman for eircom said the company remained hopeful that a resolution to the dispute could be found but that plans were being made to cope with industrial action.
"The company has contingency plans but hopefully they won't be needed," he said.
The union has not outlined what form the industrial action may take and have declined comment further before this afternoon's talks.
The CWU has already said that all fixed-line and broadband services could be affected. The Irish Timesreports today options being considered include a ban on overtime, non co-operation with certain activities, one-day stoppages, an all-out strike, or sectional stoppages.
"We are happy to meet with the LRC and we look forward to hearing what they have to say. We hope that the fact that the talks are resuming is a positive sign," Steve Fitzpatrick general secretary of the CWU said.
Over 97 per cent of the CWU's 5,000 members voted in favour of industrial action and have the backing by Impact, the Civil and Public Service Union and Public Service Executive Union, which have smaller memberships at the company.
Eircom was bought last year by Australian venture firm Babcock & Brown for €2.4 billion from Valentia, a consortium headed by the chairman of Independent News and Media, Sir Anthony O'Reilly.
In relation to services lost due to lightning strike on Tuesday, the eircom spokesman said resources are being deployed to the worst-affected areas on a priority basis.
Among the counties affected by lightning strikes are Kilkenny; Wexford; Wicklow; Monaghan; Louth; Sligo; Leitrim; Longford and Roscommon.
Service may not be restored to around 8,000 customers until after the weekend.