More than 5,000 staff at Dunnes Stores are being balloted for industrial action by their trade union.
Mandate says the company has refused to implement a recommendation by the Labour Court to discuss a number of concerns the union has.
Workers want security of hours and earnings, and a review of what they say is the excessive use of temporary contracts.
The retailer employs more than 10,000 workers in 112 stores in the Republic.
A result of the ballot - up to an all-out strike - is expected in the first week of March.
Assistant General Secretary of Mandate Gerry Light says workers have no option but to strike:
Dunnes worker in Newtownmountkennedy Muireann Dalton said, “nobody wants to go on strike and we can hardly afford to miss a day’s pay, but at some stage we have to say enough is enough and stand up for ourselves.
"Thousands of Dunnes workers like me have no idea how many hours we’ll get from week to week," she added.
