The Construction Industry Federation is expected to raise the unofficial strike by scaffolders at today's meeting of the Partnership 2000 review body. The body meets quarterly to review progress and deal with the implementation of the agreement.
It remains to be seen if the CIF will invoke the peace clause of the agreement to demand the direct intervention of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. This seems un likely, given that the scaffolders' union, SIPTU, and the CIF have agreed to attend talks convened by the chairman of the National Joint Industrial Council for the construction industry, Mr Kevin Foley, this morning.
Mr Foley is an industrial relations officer with the Labour Relations Commission, and this means that for the first time in almost a week both sides will be returning to discuss the issues at the centre of the dispute in a formal context.
No progress was reported from yesterday's meeting of the National Joint Industrial Council.
It is understood that some progress has been made in informal contacts between the scaffolders and employers, but it will only begin to emerge today if a new basis for a settlement can be found.
If progress is not made, scaffolders are likely to target several major developments in the greater Dublin area for mass pickets later this week.
The leaders of the unofficial action will not be attending the talks and seemed in an unrepentant mood last night.
The chairman of the Dublin Scaffolders Society, Mr Andrew McGuinness, and the chairman of the Cork Scaffolders Society, Mr Don Walsh, issued a statement describing a CIF advertisement in yesterday's national newspapers as "sensationalist and hysterical".
They said the scaffolders had initiated "all efforts to resolve this issue by continuously making ourselves available for meaningful negotiations. Finally scaffolders will continue to picket in a peaceful and dignified manner."
The CIF was refraining from comment ahead of today's meetings, but a spokesman reiterated its concern that several major projects were under threat and said unofficial action was not the way to resolve the dispute.