Senior public servants are set to join the ongoing campaign of industrial action against the pay cuts, heaping further pressure on finance minister Brian Lenihan.

The Ahcps, which represents senior managerial staff such as principal officers, will ballot its members next week to join the action.

The union has not been involved in the campaign so far but general secretary Dave Thomas said that nationwide consultations over the last few weeks with members revealed growing anger at the unilaterally imposed pay cuts.

The CPSU, which represents 10,000 lower paid clerical staff and which has been to the forefront of the ongoing work-to-rule, has already served notice of its intention to escalate their action to include "selective strikes" from 15 March.

Blair Horan of the Cpsu said he would inform each department and agency in advance of the nature of the stoppages. Horan also warned finance that if any member was removed from the payroll, pickets would be immediately placed on the department or office involved.

The CPSU and the PSEU have closed public counters and stopped answering phones in offices around the country. The nurses union, the Inmo and Impact, which represents professional and technical staff throughout the public service including health, have also said they will "significantly escalate" their action to include rolling work stoppages.

"The government must be persuaded that this campaign will continue, and be escalated still further, unless and until it comes back to the negotiating table" warned Inmo leader Liam Doran.