The president of Ictu has made a staunch defence of social partnership ahead of a key meeting next week at which congress is due to decide whether to enter talks on a new deal.
With unions and employers expressing scepticism about the viability of a new national wage deal, Peter McLoone said social partnership has the potential to provide safeguards for workers' rights and prevent a "race to the bottom" in terms of wages and conditions.
Mr McLoone, who is also general secretary of public service union Impact, was speaking today at a meeting of its national consultative council.
Impact advocates entering talks, but the State's largest union, Siptu, has strongly questioned the value of a new deal, and Ictu general secretary David Begg has also expressed reservations.
Congress will meet next Tuesday to decide on whether to engage with Government and employers' group Ibec in talks on a deal that would need to be agreed by the end of the year or early next year.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is a strong supporter of social partnership, but with Ibec also cool on a new deal, he warned recently that wage inflation could seriously undermine economic competitiveness.
He suggested that areas such as legislative protections for workers could be improved as part of a new deal - a key issue after unions reacted furiously to Irish Ferries' attempt to lay off all its seafarers and replace them with cheap foreign labour.
"I don't accept that the existence of the global economy means Irish workers must accept third world pay and working conditions," Mr McLoone said.
"It is possible to develop a suite of measures that can robustly address the exploitation of workers and erosion of pay and conditions - and still protect the competitive position of companies that respect their workers and want to maintain decent working conditions," Mr McLoone said
A new deal remains the best prospect of "maintaining a strong and fair economy", he added and warned unions not to "talk themselves out of a deal before discussions even begin".