Taoiseach seeks flexibility in pay talks
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has called on all sides in the national pay talks to be flexible and creative as discussions resume this weekend.
Addressing the annual conference of the IMPACT trade union in Killarney today, Mr Ahern said he was still hoping for progress, despite significant differences between employers and trade unions.
He also defended the social partnership process amid claims that it is a tired and outdated formula.
"I urge all parties to be flexible and to be creative in negotiating an agreement that is consistent with our genuinely shared concerns about employment, about living standards about the quality of life for our people," he said.
Mr Ahern later told reporters that the social partners needed to be imaginative to overcome their differences and there would no deal if both sides failed to move from their current positions.
