Figures for national pay-round increases are likely to emerge today in talks on a successor to Partnership 2000. The shape of the package may take some time to evolve but it is expected to be worth at least 15 per cent over three years. Groups from the community and voluntary sector and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) -, will be meeting officials from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment today to discuss "redesigning" schemes to make them more effective.
By this evening it is hoped to have dealt with most of the issues and talks may begin on the shape of a possible pay deal. In that event, IBEC, ICTU and the Government negotiators may well seek to finalise negotiations by tomorrow, or Saturday at the latest.
Meanwhile, the ICTU has welcomed the publication of the Government's Bills on the National Minimum Wage and Trade Union Recognition as essential preliminaries to the final phase of negotiations.
The measures have added to a new mood of optimism at the talks.
They are aimed primarily at making a new pay agreement attractive to the trade unions, ahead of the hard bargaining on national pay rounds and gainsharing.
The IBEC council is understood to have endorsed the strategy of its negotiating team to date in offering only the prospect of pay increases in lower double figures over the next three years.
Union negotiators, on the other hand, are still pressing for much higher rates, especially for the lower paid. The Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, defended the Government's decision to stick to the £4.40p-an-hour rate when she was interviewed on RTE Radio 1's Five Seven Live programme. However, she did not rule out looking at the measure again, "if unions and employers agree on something different".
The ICTU deputy general secretary, Ms Patricia O'Donovan, was quick to endorse the minimum wage legislation for "ensuring that the most basic and fundamental right of every worker, to receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, is respected". On union recognition, IBEC has been more forthcoming.
Its director of employee relations, Mr Turlough O'Sullivan, welcomed the measure as underpinning the essentially voluntary nature of the system.
ICTU assistant general secretary, Mr Tom Wall, pointed out in his welcome for the Bill from the Minister of State for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Tom Kitt, that "it means that in future any person who wants to be represented by a trade union cannot be prevented from doing so by his or her employer".