Rail passengers could face disruption to services later this autumn as train drivers at Iarnród Éireann are to commence a ballot seeking a mandate for industrial action in a row over pay.
The ballot will commence on 21 September.
If workers vote for industrial action there could be stoppages on DART, commuter and national rail services.
National Bus and Rail Union General Secretary Dermot O'Leary described last week's breakdown of talks at the Labour Relations Commission as a debacle.
He accused the company of shutting down debate saying all Irish Rail workers wanted was to be in a position to discuss and negotiate changes made to their grade over the past number of years.
He accused the company of trying to apply Thatcherite solutions to industrial relations issues, adding that the unfortunate reality was that both staff and customers would suffer as a result of what he described as "autocratic decision-making".
After #irishrail ballot unions must decide form of ind action/serve notice on company so will be weeks before any actual disruption
— Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) September 15, 2015
SIPTU and the NBRU have said Iarnrod Éireann has refused to engage properly with them on payment for productivity concessions already delivered by staff, despite a commitment to do so in an agreement reached a year ago.
Under the deal agreed last September, staff took a 1.7% pay cut to last 25 months.
However, unions say the agreement provided for staff to engage with management on additional productivity conceded by train drivers in the past few years, as well as future productivity.
Iarnrod Éireann acknowledged that it had committed to "discussions" on past productivity, but stressed that the company is still in a precarious financial position, and is losing over €1m per month.
