ESB unions are seeking to meet management at the State-owned electricity supplier for talks over possible industrial action.
Workers at the company have voted 90 per cent in favour of industrial action in protest at Government plans to split the ESB's electricity generating and transmission businesses.
The break-up plan is contained in a Government White Paper published last March. Management will be obliged to implement the Government plan and has already discussed the issue with workers' representatives.
Independent agency Eirgrid currently operates the Republic's national grid, but the ESB retains ownership. The Government believes that making the grid independent of the ESB would help boost competition as it is used by both the State company and its competitors.
The ESB Group of Unions claim the plan will cripple the company commercially and wipe €1 billion off its value.
However, speaking in the Dáil this morning the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern disputed the unions' claim. "The transfer of assets will be accompanied by the transfer of liabilities...I think it will help the ESB into the future" he said.
Mr Ahern said the break-up plan is about the "price that we pay for electricity in this country and the future of ESB".
"Its a very good company, it's a well-paid and well-structured company the Government wants it to stay that way but there are issues of competition and issues of dominance and issues of competitiveness of the overall economy that have to be dealt with," he added.
The Taoiseach told the Dáil that the Minister for Energy, Eamon Ryan, has made himself available to discuss the issues with the group of unions and management at ESB.
The Group of Unions represents more than 2,000 workers and includes the TEEU, Unite and Siptu. The unions said yesterday that they were going to seek a meeting with management before serving strike notice or taking any other action.
Householders and small businesses would probably be worst-affected by any possible strike as large businesses and organisations can buy their power from the ESB's competitors.