Concerns about decentralisation are to be aired at a public meeting in Dublin tonight by specialist staff in the Civil Service and State agencies.
They claim the Government's programme has failed to take account of the particular difficulties facing professional staff and others with specialist skills whose jobs are being decentralised.
Those who wish to remain in Dublin may have no suitable jobs to go to, they point out.
Tonight's meeting has been organised by the architectural, engineering and heritage services branch of Impact, the State's biggest public sector union.
A survey carried out by the branch indicated that four members whose jobs are being decentralised wish to move, while 122 do not. A small number were undecided.
Mr Ciarán McGahon, an architect in the Office of Public Works, said the majority of branch members affected worked in the OPW or Dúchas.
"Our jobs are being decentralised outside Dublin, whilst there are no equivalent or similar jobs being left in Dublin for us to transfer to should we not wish to decentralise."
As a result, he said, many people felt under pressure to sign up "to follow their jobs".
Specialist staff from agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and the Arts Council would also be attending the meeting, he said.
Dr Angela Canny, a lecturer in sociology at the University of Limerick, is to address the meeting, which takes place at Wynne's Hotel on Lower Abbey Street at 7.30 p.m.
She will present the findings of her recent study, "Geographical Mobility - Family Impacts", which was co-authored by the UK-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
