A senior Garda representative figure said the force is unlikely to receive any further salary increases from Government and it should agree to settle their pay claim under the Partnership 2000 pay round.
Mr P.J. Stone, general secretary of the Garda Representative Association, urged gardai to vote in support of accepting the Government's pay offer in a ballot this week. He issued his statement as ballot papers were being sent out to the GRA's 8,000 members to vote on accepting or rejecting the deal.
The membership has twice already rejected substantially the same deal.
If the membership accepts the deal this time, it is expected they will begin operating the new £55 million PULSE computer system - the biggest computer network in the State. They have so far refused to work the system as part of their industrial dispute.
In his statement to the GRA membership, Mr Stone warned them "not be under any illusion that if this package is rejected more money will be put on the table by the Government".
He added: "The GRA's central executive committee believes that the revised offer, which members are now balloting upon, is the best that can be secured at this time and this is not a decision that we took lightly.
"It is the executive's considered view that the pay claim cannot be advanced any further and even if the revised package is rejected, all that will happen is that the dispute will continue without any prospect of additional pay for gardai."
Mr Stone said he was confident the issue of a 39-hour working week for gardai, which was rejected by the Government side during the talks, would be resolved in favour of gardai in renewed talks next month under the terms of the next public service pay round.
It was not clear yesterday how the force would vote in the latest poll. Senior figures believe the offer of the lump sum payment of back pay owed under the Partnership 2000 pay deal and worth around £1,500 after tax might encourage members to accept the deal.