The Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, reminded party TDs and senators yesterday that Labour was going to contest the general election as an independent party.
Mr Quinn was speaking as speculation mounted this week about the party's post-electoral strategy, particularly, whether his party would enter a coalition arrangement with Fianna Fáil.
Addressing the first weekly parliamentary party meeting since the Christmas break, Mr Quinn re-asserted the party's official position of not ruling out the prospect of such an arrangement ahead of an election.
"Ruairí raised the issue about the unity of the party and everyone singing off the same hymn sheet," explained one party member.
"He made it clear he had been given an endorsement by the party, that it had been agreed that as party leader he will have that flexibility. At the end of the day,everyone acknowledged that was the position of the party.
"Personally I don't think the differences of opinion that we've seen aired recently have done the party any harm."
In December, front bench spokespeople Mr Pat Rabbitte and Ms Róisín Shortall publicly expressed their opposition to a coalition with Fianna Fáil.
Another TD said opinion had been expressed yesterday that the speculation about pre-electoral pacts and coalition arrangements was largely media driven.
"We have made our position clear but the media is driving this thing. Ruairí is our leader and he will make the decision on how to deal with it and nobody is disputing that.
"Of course with everything centring on who will dance with whom, our policies are ignored," said the deputy.
At the Labour conference last year, the party's Executive Committee, reflecting the views of the leadership, tabled a motion stating that Labour should contest the next election as an independent party on its own distinctive policy platform, leaving all options open.
It also authorised the party leader to take whatever decisions and issue whatever statements he considered necessary to achieve the party's aims.
The vote was won by a 6-1 ratio; however, the tone of a considerable amount of the debate which preceded the decision was strongly opposed to coalition with Fianna Fáil.
Mr Quinn refused to comment yesterday on whether he would accede to the Green Party demand that changes would need to be made to the Nice Treaty, in advance of any coalition deal.
It is understood the Nice Treaty is due to be discussed at the parliamentary party meeting next week. One Labour source said the party did not intend making any comment on this matter.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, said earlier this week he would be prepared to have discussions with the Greens on the issue.