Broadcasts of the general election count could be disrupted because of threatened industrial action by members of RTÉ's outside broadcasting division.
If strike action goes ahead from midnight next Friday, no cameras or sound facilities would be available at count centres, a move which would deprive the station's election programmes of their essential drama.
SIPTU and the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, which represent the 45 staff involved, are taking the action because of plans to axe the division by June 19th as part of RTÉ's latest cost-saving plan.
The station is already in advanced negotiations to contract out the service to Screen Scene. Meanwhile talks will take place between the unions and management through RTÉ's internal industrial relations tribunal tomorrow.
The station's director of corporate affairs, Ms Bride Rosney, said yesterday the election was part of the democratic process and it was inconceivable that RTÉ would not cover such a core activity. However SIPTU's broadcasting branch secretary, Mr Jimmy Jordan, said the strike would definitely go ahead if plans to scrap the outside broadcasting division remained in place.
This week the union would be consulting its other 1,200 members in RTÉ about further industrial action.
"Basically this is about the crisis in funding RTÉ," Mr Jordan said. "The Government's own consultants, Price Waterhouse, recommended a licence increase of £21.50 (€27.30) as the minimum necessary to maintain current levels of service. Where the figure of £14.50 (€18.41) the Minister decided on came from, nobody knows, but if the funding question is not addressed, RTÉ is going into a tail spin."