Unions at the ESB are meeting this evening and tomorrow to decide whether to accept company proposals for six weeks of intensive talks with ESB management.
A deal to negotiate would avert next Monday's planned national strike involving two of the unions, SIPTU and ESBOA.
There are ten unions grouped in looking for a deal and they are to vote on whether to enter into talks with the ESB.
It has offered the unions a 21 per cent pay rise offer - 9 per cent short of the 30 per cent sought by unions. The offer from the company to its workers was finalised this morning after three days of talks.
Aside from the pay issue, talks would involve the ESB's restructuring plan. The ESB is seeking 2,000 voluntary severances in the plans. It also wants new work practices, in each category of worker, for those that stay in the company.
Assistant regional industrial organiser for the ATGWU Mr Denis Rohan told ireland.comthat if the unions agree to negotiate there would be "six weeks of very intensive negotiating, which would bring us up to the end of May. Any deal would then go to ballot during the first two weeks of June and a result would be known at the end of that month".