Nationwide protests will be staged at technological universities this afternoon in a dispute over pay.
Third level members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) will take part in the action to highlight what the union said are unacceptable regional variations in pay and conditions in the sector.
The TUI said services for students will not be affected.
The union has accused the Department of Further and Higher Education of failing to adhere to a collective agreement on the establishment of the technological university sector.
The TUI described the department’s approach as an attempt to have each technological university free to operate separately, without regard or recourse to national negotiation.
"This is a clear and wholly unacceptable breach of a collective agreement accepted in good faith by our members," said TUI General Secretary Michael Gillespie.
"Should the department continue to refuse to engage properly with us, the union already has a strong mandate for a campaign of industrial action, up to and including strike action, on this critical issue following a national ballot of members last month in which 92% of members polled voted to take industrial action as directed by the Union’s Executive Committee," Mr Gillespie said.
The department said it has engaged consistently with the TUI on the reform of the technological university sector and remains available to enter into discussions on this matter.
"The dispute has arisen in relation to the establishment of a new Executive Management Team in MTU which has been sanctioned by the Department of Public Expenditure," a department spokesperson said.
"The department does not accept that there has been any breach of the 2017 agreement or any other agreement."
The department said it is continuing to engage with TUI to seek an agreed solution and that it is willing to avail of the dispute resolution mechanisms that exist if necessary.
