Talks on new national pay deal to get underway today
02/05/2006 - 07:30:32Employers, trade unions and the Government are due to begin talks today on a new national pay deal.
The talks are going ahead following agreement among the social partners about measures to protect employment standards and prevent the exploitation of migrant workers.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is set to press for generous pay increases, saying economic conditions have never been so good.
It is also expected to seek a local-bargaining clause that would allow workers to claim extra increases from highly profitable firms.
The employers' body IBEC is likely to resist this and argue for restraint in order to protect the competitiveness of the business sector.
Negotiations on the matter are expected to last for several weeks.
