Unions and employers made progress over the weekend in attempts to break the deadlock in talks on a new national partnership deal.
The two sides meet again today in a continued effort to agree a formula designed to combat the job-displacement and the exploitation of migrant workers. Unions want new legislation preventing employers from making workers redundant for the purpose of replacing them with cheaper labour.
Employer bodies have no objection in principle to the proposal. But intensive efforts to find a legal formula acceptable to both sides have failed to date.
It is understood that little progress was made during all-day negotiations on Saturday, chaired by the secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach, Dermot McCarthy.
During a further meeting yesterday afternoon, however, a degree of progress was made, reviving hopes that a new partnership agreement is possible.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has insisted that progress be made on the employment standards issue before it negotiates on other matters such as pay.
When talks began in early February, Ictu sought a range of legislative measures to underpin workers' pay and conditions.
Its stance was rejected by the employers body, Ibec, which argued that increased regulation of the labour market would hinder economic growth and scare away foreign investors.
It now seems unlikely that Ictu will be able to deliver on a number of its demands, such as new powers for the Labour Court to enforce "industry norms" of pay and conditions. However the parties are inching towards an agreement on legislation to prevent blatant cases of job displacement.
If the outline of an agreement on this issue can be reached this week, the sides could move on to pay and other issues in the hope of finalising an overall deal by Easter. The Government would be expected, in the meantime, to confirm a package of measures aimed at improving enforcement of existing labour laws.
A new enforcement agency and the appointment of up to 40 additional labour inspectors - there are currently 31 - are among the measures on the cards.
