Public service unions have warned that their 300,000 members are unlikely to support a new national wage agreement unless the benchmarking system for setting public pay rates is fundamentally changed.
The Public Service Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions met today to discuss their approach to the next round of national pay negotiations, which are due to get under way within weeks.
It is understood that representatives at the meeting agreed unanimously that they should attend the next round of partnership talks - but stress that they will be seeking change in how public sector pay is determined.
Unions have voiced anger about the system, which delivered zero pay increases for most public servants.
They have questioned the methodology for comparing public and private sector pay.
Others say benchmarking is flawed because it is incapable of addressing individual sectoral grievances, as in the case of nurses.
