Up to 1,000 staff at Irish Life began a ballot last evening on whether to take industrial action over uncertainty caused by the possible break-up of the company.
The ballot comes as the Government is forcing the break-up of Irish Life to recoup some of the cost of bailing out the lender’s unprofitable banking unit.
If passed, the ballot could lead to industrial action by early November. Irish Life and Permanent was ordered to raise €4 billion following the stress tests of the banks last March. As a result, Irish Life is currently being offered for sale.