The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern warned "micro-minority" groups trying to destroy social partnership they will not deflect him from developing the economy and improving living standards for all. He was speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) in Dublin at the weekend.
Mr Ahern was making his comments shortly before train drivers voted unanimously at a meeting across the city to accept the peace plan put forward by the National Implementation Body and suspend further industrial action.
Last week's three days of stoppages disrupted travel for over 100,000 rail passengers and cost Iarnrod Eireann more than £500,000. The Labour Court is expected to contact the ATGWU and Iarnrod Eireann today to begin its investigation into the disciplinary proceedings against seven drivers. Meanwhile, the ATGWU and SIPTU are to begin bilateral talks this morning to resolve their differences.
The talks were requested by the ATGWU's Irish secretary, Mr Mick O'Reilly. Both unions had planned to meet some weeks ago to discuss a wide range of issues, but this was deferred when the dispute over representation for train drivers erupted. SIPTU has agreed to the ATGWU request for talks, but only if the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is allowed to issue a ruling on train drivers' representation if the unions fail to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
Yesterday Mr O'Reilly said the talks were to develop a more united approach so both unions could work to extend trade union membership. Mr Noel Dowling of SIPTU said its leadership had been calling on the ATGWU to adopt this approach for some time.
Speaking at the AHCPS conference on Saturday, Mr Ahern said the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness was once more under threat. "But social partnership has proved itself again and again to be both robust enough and imaginative enough to deal with the unforeseen." He added: "Despite the micro-minority who try to stop the train of development for all, any Government I lead will never let a tiny number of disputes, no matter how high profile, deflect me from further developing the economy, which can take this country to a new level of prosperity on a sustained basis."
The general secretary of the AHCPS, Mr Sean O'Riordain, told Mr Ahern "survival of partnership in the public sector" was "critically dependent on the outcome of the bench-marking pay reviews. It is, I believe, quite clear that if the pay outcomes are not perceived to be fair and reasonable, then the `sledgehammer' approach will not be confined to disaffected teachers."