The Tánaiste is to begin an investigation into the electricians' dispute, it was announced today.
Union chiefs had earlier warned of another crippling strike after a contracting group rejected Labour Court proposals last night.
Mary Coughlan said today she had taken account of the complex situation.
"In the circumstances, I have decided to initiate an independent investigation under Section 38 (2) of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act and I will announce the format for this investigation as soon as possible," she said.
The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) welcomed the investigation but warned that it would have to be concluded in a reasonable timeframe.
“If it conducts its business expeditiously and concludes within a month, which would appear a reasonable time, we will co-operate fully and would be hopeful that a resolution to our current problems can be achieved, notwithstanding the ballot of the AECI rejecting the terms already accepted by my own union and by the other employer body, the ECA," TEEU General Secretary Owen Wills said today.
Members of the Association of Electrical Contractors of Ireland (AECI) , which represents up to 300 small and medium contractors, last night rejected the 4.9 per cent increase that was proposed by the Labour Court after it intervened in the recent electricians' dispute.
In a statement, the AECI said: "Members are adamant that it would be impossible to recover these cost increases from customers in the current economic climate, and electrical contractors are not in a position to carry these costs themselves."
Mr Wills said the industry was now faced with a return to industrial action.
Speaking this morning, he said the TEEU would now review and reflect on the process and engage with the parties that have agreed to the Labour Court recommendation.
"If, in that space of time, we can't get a solution, then of course we will have to review the suspension of the industrial dispute, and that's very obvious . . . but we would hope to avoid that."
Speaking on RTÉ, Mr Wills said: "They [contractors] have costed for that [the pay increase] in all their prices back to 2006 when the rate was agreed with all parties to pay the 4.9 per cent. They have charged that out. What they have done is pocketed that money and not passed it on to our members."
He said he did not believe it was a reasonable answer for the AECI to say it did not have the money for the increase.
"The fact that the [AECI] members made that decision doesn't make it right. It just makes it harder for people to get a solution," Mr Wills said.
Thousands of electricians returned to work on July 13th after a week-long strike that saw hundreds of sites close, including the new Lansdowne Road stadium and the new terminal development at Dublin airport and the multi-storey private hospital building at St Vincent’s in Dublin.
The non-binding recommendation by the Labour Court included a 4.9 per cent pay increase for electricians in two phases, comprising a 2.5 per cent increase on September 1st and 2.4 per cent from January 1st.