Bus and rail workers are likely to begin balloting on a proposed strike next week, following a union meeting today.
A decision to hold the ballot is expected at a meeting of the executive of the National Bus and Rail Union in Dublin. If the ballot goes ahead, it could result in industrial action by workers in CIÉ in about three weeks.
In the meantime, however, the union could decide to continue exploring the possibility of a resolution of its ongoing row with the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, over the future of public transport.
Unions in CIÉ are opposed to Mr Brennan's plans to break up the company and give private operators control of up to 25 per cent of the Dublin bus market.
They are also concerned about the increasing number of licences being given to private companies operating outside Dublin.
The argument between the two intensified this week when the NBRU said it was reviewing its continued participation in talks with the Department of Transport.
It accused Mr Brennan of failing to honour a commitment to provide definitive proposals on the future of the Dublin bus market by an agreed deadline.
In a further twist on Thursday, the union said it had learned of the issuing of two new private bus licences in Dublin, making industrial action "almost inevitable".
If the union's executive decides to pursue that course today, a ballot of members in Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and Iarnród Éireann would take about two weeks. A further week's strike notice would then have to be issued before industrial action could be implemented.
In the meantime, the union intends to report back to the chairman of the talks taking place with the Department of Transport, Mr Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Foley would be prepared to continue the talks while a strike ballot was taking place.
If discussions did continue, the three-week "breathing space" before industrial action took place might prove sufficient for the Department to provide the proposals on the Dublin bus market which were expected this week.
In a related development, the NBRU complained to the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) yesterday over "an instruction" to independent radio stations not to carry the union's statement on Thursday, in which it announced that a strike was likely.
A BCI spokesman said there had been no blanket ban on coverage of the strike threat. He said one station had submitted a script and the BCI had decided that the script would breach the ban on election-related material on the day prior to polling.
Talks on a new national pay deal, meanwhile, adjourned last night with progress reported to be slow.
A Government spokesman said a "considerable gap" remained between the sides, and the talks at Government Buildings would resume today.
Employer, union and Government representatives are hoping to reach agreement by early next week on an 18-month deal to cover the remaining half of the Sustaining Progress partnership programme.
