The Communications and Energy Minister has called on the Labour Relations Commission to intervene in the dispute at ESB.

Management and unions have been in negotiations for the past week in a row over a 1.6 billion euro deficit in the pension scheme.

Workers have threatened to go on strike on December 16th - if the dispute is not resolved before then.

In a statement this evening, Minister Pat Rabbitte says he's requested the services of the LRC to bring both sides together and hammer out a solution as soon as possible.

He said it's unthinkable that our economic recovery should be jeopardised, domestic consumers inconvenienced and our country’s reputation undermined by power outages.

Earlier the Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said “the ESB and Eirgrid have contingency plans in place in the event of industrial action taking place”.