The ironic impasse comes months after talks on a new enterprise agreement first started and could affect about 1500 teachers in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

The Independent Education Union wants an arrangement that would allow the Fair Work Commission to make binding decisions when it cannot reach an agreement with the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations on industrial matters.

The Catholic Commission for Employment Relations, however, would rather stick to the current deal, where negotiations are settled in-house and Fair Work can only get involved when both parties agree to the intervention.

Catholic Commission of Employment Relations executive director Tony Farley said the union could go to the Federal Court for disputes that were otherwise unresolved. He urged teachers to hold fire "at a time of funding uncertainty".

"It's completely unnecessary to have industrial action about a clause that exists at the moment and works," he said.

"We think it's an unfortunate move on the part of the union."

Union members are yet to vote on their response but NSW/ACT secretary John Quessy said he had been "inundated" with emails expressing an appetite for industrial action.

The union will likely apply for a protected ballot later this week or early next week and, if passed, would take industrial action later in the school term.

The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn covers 29 ACT schools including Merici College, St Clare's College and St Francis Xavier College, as well as schools in Young, Goulburn, Cootamundra and Cooma.

Archdiocese Catholic Education director Ross Fox said: "Our dedicated teachers are the heartbeat of our schools and are valued and supported wholeheartedly by Catholic Education and our school communities.

"We believe the high value we hold for teachers is reflected in their future enterprise agreement."