The executive of the country's largest public service union Impact has reversed its position and urged members to support the Croke Park agreement on public sector pay and reform.
The move follows the issuing of a set of clarifications on the deal as well as a resolution to a dispute involving Impact members in the health sector.
Impact's executive has previously said it could not recommend the deal because of concerns about its implications for existing agreements in the health sector and separately because of the possibility that the Government could walk away from the proposals if there were any unforeseen budgetary deterioration.
Impact general secretary-designate Shay Cody said the union's central executive had changed its position on foot of clarifications produced in relation to the agreement and a Labour Court recommendation which resolved the concerns that the Croke Park deal could dilute pre-existing guarantees on job security on a deal reached in 2004.
Mr Cody said the clarifications on pay and also on the so-called Government 'Get-out-of-jail' clause were instrumental to Impact's executive changing its position.
He said the clarification that savings generated from workplace reforms would be used to commence a process of reimbursing staff for pay cuts introduced earlier this year had also been helpful.
Impact will now commence a ballot on the Croke Park proposals next week which will conclude in mid-June.