Several union officers at Waterford Institute of Technology have resigned after a backlash against last week's TUSE ballot.
It comes as the application for Technological University status is expected to be lodged later today.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland branch had voted against the plans - but turnout was only 24 percent.
At an emergency meeting last night, members voted to re-ballot the deal, and this will take place online instead of via post.
Four of the branch's officers have now resigned in protest, claiming that the new ballot holds "no assurances" for staff.
In a letter to members, she and the other resigning officers said there had been "a lot of finger pointing" around last week's ballot, but that the four would "respect the right of all members to have opinions that differ from our own".
However, they said that the new ballot risked being a rerun without any major amendments to the terms. Their positions had also been undermined and had become untenable, they added.
"There was a concerted effort to reject our efforts to bring all members along by identifying and addressing issues in an apparent effort to be expedient by seeking a new MOU ballot with no assurances.
"We respect the vote taken [at Thursday's meeting] but we have no desire to continue as officers in a branch where all the votes and voices of members are not respected. It is ironic that in the quest for the protection of the MOU that the very essence of this branch, its unity and solidarity has been undermined."
