There is "a serious lack of adequate human-resources planning in some high-profile and essential sectors of the economy", the chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, Mr Kieran Mulvey, said at the launch of the LRC's annual report last night.
The urge to find "short-term solutions to either manpower shortages, pay demands or market requirements can, in themselves, produce long-term industrial-relations problems".
Mr Mulvey is thought to have been referring particularly to the Iarnrod Eireann situation, where pay concessions to groups such as permanent way operatives, signallers and DART drivers, have led to "catch-up claims".
Nevertheless, the LRC succeeded in resolving many major disputes last year in areas such as construction, transport, local authorities, health, financial services, energy and agri-food. Its 85 per cent success rate was one percentage point up on last year.
Mr Mulvey warned, however, that after 14 years of social partnership, "too many enterprise and public-service changes are being sought against impracticable deadlines and on a confrontational/adversarial basis.
"Unions too must continue to assess new ways of engagement with market requirements by negotiating more flexible workplace arrangements rather than resisting changes which inevitably damage the very employment they seek to sustain."
Mr Mulvey said these dangers grew with the slowdown in the economy. Already this year the LRC had been involved in 12 major disputes arising from closures or cutbacks.
Both sides in industry had to work to avoid damaging disputes which frightened off investment. There was also an urgent need to introduce codes of conduct to prevent disruption to essential services.