There is now a serious threat of power cuts across the country this December after unions at ESB announced that they will serve notice of industrial action.

The ESB group of unions is to serve notice of industrial action next Friday, with the strike notice set to expire on Monday December 16th.

This means if there is no resolution by that date, they say they will be forced to take action.

It comes following a meeting of union leaders at the ESB to decide on their strategy after staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.

The government is meanwhile appealing for unions and management to come to an agreement and remove the threat of power cuts in the run-up to Christmas.

The dispute is focused on a €1.6 billion hole in the pension fund of the ESB.

Unions say management switched the scheme from a guaranteed defined benefit scheme to a defined contribution scheme, which places all the risk on staff.

The government says that it is very concerned about the impact a strike would have on electricity supply during winter on the elderly and the wider public, as well as on business owners in the run-up to the Christmas period.

ESB group of unions chief is Brendan Ogle. He has this message for people who may be affected by power cuts.