The ICTU general secretary, Mr Peter Cassells, is understood to have told the congress executive yesterday he expected affiliated unions to abide by the majority decision on next week's special delegate conference on the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. Any affiliate which failed to do so would have to accept the consequences of its actions, he said.
Senior trade union sources said he made his remarks at the start of the executive meeting, when details of conference arrangements were discussed. Earlier in the week a number of trade union leaders had expressed concern at remarks by the vice-president of congress, Mr Joe O'Toole, that regardless of the ICTU position he would ballot his own union members in the Irish National Teachers' Organisation for industrial action if they rejected the PPF.
Neither Mr O'Toole nor any other member of the executive commented further on the controversy after Mr Cassells' remarks. Most congress members consider the matter closed.
The general secretary of the Civil and Public Service Union, Mr Blair Horan, who had raised the matter formally with Mr Cassells, said afterwards: "Based on the position outlined by the general secretary of congress that the SDC (special delegate conference) decision must be adhered to by all unions in congress, I'm satisfied with the clarification."
The CPSU has serious internal divisions over the PPF. A branch motion for its annual general meeting in May calls for withdrawal from the ICTU. This is because the union executive agreed last month to maintain the policy of abiding by majority decisions at ICTU conferences. The CPSU is holding a ballot on the PPF without a recommendation for acceptance or rejection.
Mr O'Toole has come under renewed attack from the Campaign Against A Partnership Deal.