Negotiations on a new national pay deal are expected to start again next week after SIPTU, the country's biggest union, yesterday announced its intention to return to the talks.
It said that at the outset, however, it would be seeking assurances from the employers' body, IBEC, arising from the row over job cuts at Independent Newspapers.
SIPTU had pulled out of discussions in March because of comments made by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney. She said Progressive Democrat participation in Government would be in question if the Coalition failed to liberalise bus routes and break up Aer Rianta.
The union said yesterday it had received reassurances from the Government concerning the rights of transport and aviation workers and was now "amenable" to re-entering discussions.
The dispute at Independent Newspapers, however, has considerably worsened the atmosphere in advance of the talks, which are aimed at securing a pay agreement covering the second 18 months of the three-year partnership programme, Sustaining Progress.
The company, which is a member of IBEC, refused a request by the National Implementation Body (NIB) last week that it and SIPTU jointly refer the dispute to the Labour Court.
The NIB comprises senior employer, union and Government representatives and monitors the implementation of partnership deals.
SIPTU had complained to the NIB that the company was acting in breach of existing agreements by threatening to sack staff who failed to sign up for a severance package. Under a clause in Sustaining Progress, allegations of such breaches can be jointly referred to the Labour Court for a binding decision.
The controversial provision was opposed by unions but inserted in Sustaining Progress at the insistence of IBEC, which said it needed a measure to ensure that unions complied with agreements.
In a joint statement yesterday, SIPTU and the TEEU, which had also left the talks, said they would be asking the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to arrange a conference with IBEC at the start of the pay talks.
This would be to establish how IBEC "propose to bring themselves back into compliance with their obligations under the existing agreement in the light of the disregard for it displayed by one of their major constituents - Independent Newspapers".
The unions' statement said that having pushed through the compliance clause in Sustaining Progress, IBEC "now seem incapable of ensuring compliance themselves".
The employers' body refused to respond to the unions' claim yesterday.
A spokeswoman said IBEC was looking forward to resuming the pay discussions with the ICTU. It had nothing further to say on the issue.
The decision by SIPTU and the TEEU to re-enter talks followed contacts between union leaders and the Government, including a meeting last month between the ICTU and the secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr Dermot McCarthy.
