A range of key issues remains to be agreed as unions, employers and the Government prepare to conclude talks on a national pay deal.
The parties meet at Government Buildings this afternoon to begin what they hope will be a final push to secure an agreement that would form part of an overall social partnership programme.
Talks had been due to begin this morning but have been put back to enable participants to attend the funeral of Spanish Civil War veteran Michael O'Riordan.
Among the main tasks facing the parties will be to agree pay increases for some 600,000 union members for the next two to three years. But while the main focus outside the talks has been on pay, there are likely to be difficult negotiations on several other issues.
There are fundamental disagreements, for example, over what needs to be done to address the serious problems facing the pension system. Employers' body Ibec is opposed to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' proposal that pension provision in the workplace be made mandatory.
The Department of Finance is also resisting other Ictu proposals, such as its call for a State annuity scheme to deal with defined benefits schemes facing closure.
This could involve an appropriate State body taking over the payment of pensions to people whose schemes had been wound up, provided sufficient assets had been transferred to enable this to happen.
Department officials refused to entertain the proposal during a difficult meeting on the pensions issue this week.
Measures to enhance upskilling of workers, a priority issue for both unions and employers, as well as healthcare and immigration, are other items likely to feature this week.
On pay, there was still no consensus yesterday on whether any new deal should run for two or three years.
It is widely anticipated that if a deal is agreed, it will involve basic increases of between 4 and 5 per cent per year.
