Talks hosted by the Labour Relations Commission aimed at averting strike action by ESB workers are continuing in Dublin tonight with no resolution in sight.
The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) has warned the ESB and its contractors at Moneypoint that if the dispute over wages owed to 200 Polish workers is not resolved, pickets will be placed on the power station from tomorrow morning.
The TEEU claims the workers have not been paid for six weeks.
The TEEU is seeking assurances about money owed and job security for the employees, who are working on a €350 million refit of the Co Clare plant.
Union representatives are in discussion with ESB management, German firm Lentjes the main contractor at Moneypoint and ZRE Katowicz, the subcontractor at the centre of the dispute.
Lentjes was hired by ESB International as the main contractor for the environmental refit operation. The 200 Polish staff work mainly as scaffolders and welders for ZRE, which was engaged as a sub-contractor by Lentjes.
ZRE's contract was terminated at the end of last week by Lentjes.
Both the ESB and Lentjes maintain they have no outstanding payments to make, while ZRE claim they cannot afford to pay.
An interim agreement could be reached this evening a TEEU spokesman held out little hope this evening.
The union, he says, would be open to postponing the picket if some payment is made to the employees by one or more of the parties.
The talks were scheduled to begin at 2pm this afternoon but were delayed after representatives of Lentjes were late arriving, having been absent from yesterday's talks in Co Clare.
Eamon Devoy, TEEU general secretary designate, said this morning: "We believe that whichever company is technically responsible for the plight of the workers, they all share a moral responsibility for what has happened. At least if they are all under the same roof we may get at the truth.
"To let any of them off the hook would be simply to reward bad behaviour. This is the third time we have found vulnerable migrant workers treated as disposable human assets by the ESB and its contractors as soon as someone's already generous profit margins are affected," he added.
The workers, who are employed by subcontractor ZRE Katowicz, were told there was no work for them this week.
According to the TEEU, some of the workers are facing eviction and have no money for food.
Moneypoint generates about 25 per cent of the country's electricity output. However it is unclear as yet whether any pickets placed tomorrow would lead to power cuts.