Talks at the Labour Relations Commission on the dispute over prison staff overtime have been adjourned until next Monday.
The Prison Service has confirmed that the temporary closure of the Curragh prison will go ahead on the same day, unless agreement is reached.
The deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, Eugene Dennehy, said that closing prisons during negotiations was unprecedented and destructive at such a sensitive time.
Bilateral talks are to take place between now and Monday, on certain pay and non-pay issues.
The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has halved the 2004 overtime budget from €64m last year to €30m this year.
Earlier, POA General Secretary John Clinton said prisoners and staff would be transferred to Portlaoise Prison in the event of the Curragh being closed.
He said the key issue was how 1m additional hours of overtime were to be worked in the future, and many difficulties remained to be overcome.
