Both sides in the bin charges dispute were urged yesterday by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to step back from their current positions.
It said local authorities should declare a two week "moratorium" on further legal actions against protesters.
It also called on protesters to confine themselves to activities that were within the law and to desist from obstructing local authority workers.
"Everyone has a responsibility now to try to cool things down and prevent matters getting out of control," it said in a statement.
It also announced that congress leaders would meet the Government next week to press the case for "an equitable and progressive approach to tax policies, consistent with the principle of a person's ability to pay".
At a meeting yesterday, the congress executive council endorsed the statement made last month by the organisation's general secretary, Mr David Begg, on the bin charges controversy.
Mr Begg had expressed concerns about the inadequacy of funding for local services and the regressive nature of local charges, but had differed with the tactics employed in the current protest, yesterday's statement said.
In that context, the executive council viewed with concern the deteriorating situation on the ground and the potential for people to be hurt or injured.
"It reiterates the view, expressed in (Mr Begg's) statement, that a sense of proportion and tolerance should inform all parties involved."
Congress had made a detailed pre-Budget submission that included proposals for an alternative approach to financing of local authority services, "based on empowering local authorities to raise revenue from windfall land sales and rezoning decisions".
The congress statement was welcomed by Mr Eamon Devoy of the TEEU, the union most prominently supportive of the anti-bin charges campaign.
"We particularly welcome the fact that congress will be meeting the Government early next week to discuss ways of defusing a situation that has pitted residents and workers against each other," he said.
