Last-ditch talks between Bank of Ireland, Hewlett-Packard and the Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA) aimed at averting a 24-hour strike at the bank's information technology division tomorrow were adjourned last night at the request of the IBOA.

Union sources said they hoped the meeting would resume this morning. Otherwise, tomorrow's planned disruption will go ahead, it has warned.

Senior management from the bank and Hewlett-Packard attended yesterday's lengthy discussions with the IBOA's general secretary, Mr Larry Broderick. However, it is understood that Hewlett-Packard representatives did not attend the final session of the talks.

Last night it was unclear whether a breakthrough could emerge that would be sufficient to avert the imminent industrial action.

Sources close to the talks suggested that some concessions had been mooted during the lengthy talks.

Such concessions were in relation to giving certain Bank of Ireland staff the option of returning to the bank after two years of working at Hewlett-Packard in certain circumstances.

However, much would depend on the extent to which any such commitments would apply to the ITSIS workforce, the sources indicated.

The dispute was sparked by the bank's decision to outsource its information technology operations to Hewlett-Packard, a move that would involve the redeployment of 300 of the bank's staff at its ITSIS division at Cabinteely in Dublin - 220 of whom are members of the IBOA.

The IBOA wants its members to be guaranteed job security for seven years of the Hewlett-Packard contract. Staff have been offered a two-year contract with the technology giant and many are concerned that their jobs may not endure beyond that period.

The 24-hour strike will solely affect the bank's information technology operation. However, as the staff concerned provide a range of services for the bank, including maintenance of IT systems and ATMs, the stoppage has the potential to inconvenience its customers.