Tesco looks set to be hit by industrial action as talks between management and unions broke down today.
Talks have been taking place over the last two weeks at the Labour Relations Commission but Mandate's Industrial Officer Mr John Douglas said Tesco's final position was not enough to address the issue of pay.
Mr Douglas said the ballot of Tesco's 9,500 staff, represented by Mandate and SIPTU, would continue with the result expected at the end of the month. If the result is in favour of industrial action, that could begin in early June.
In a statement, Mr Douglas said that despite Tesco being one of the most successful retailers in Europe, it is one of the lowest payers in the Irish retail trade.
"At the moment, workers in Dublin stores start off on £4.85 per hour, just marginally above the national minimum wage, with their pay rising to £7.41 per hour after 10 years", he said.
Unions at Tesco are also looking for other issues to be addressed such as shares of profits for Irish workers, which workers in the UK get and the introduction of proper shift allowances.