The four unions who are members of the Frontline Service Alliance and are permitted to ballot for industrial action will begin carrying out ballots by the end of the week.
The two Garda representatives’ bodies who are not legally permitted to ballot for industrial action said they will consider other appropriate forms of industrial action.
The Frontline Alliance represents almost 100,000 workers including gardaí, nurses and prison officers.
The joint executives of Frontline were meeting at Liberty Hall in Dublin today.
On the way into the meeting, Liam Doran of the Irish Nurses' Organisation said that while the country did not need confrontation, Frontline workers were not prepared to roll over.
Frontline Service Alliance Chairman Des Kavanagh said yesterday's comments by the Minister for Finance about seeking €1.3bn in public service pay cuts were 'confrontational'.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is to hold mass rallies on 6 November in protest at the Government's economic strategy.
The IMPACT trade union executive meets today after members voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action if their pay is targeted.
They and other public sector unions now seem likely to hold a one-day strike on 24 November, which could cause chaos.
