The Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA) has received the support of the Irish Conference of Professional Service Association (ICPSA) for its plans to lodge a 10 per cent wage claim. The IBOA is preparing to make the claim in the expectation that there will be no new social partnership agreement.

Members of ICPSA, the body that represents professional staff associations and unions, voted on the matter yesterday when they held their annual general meeting.

The IBOA is also demanding the inclusion in any new agreement of a local bargaining clause, which would allow workers in profitable enterprises to seek "top-up" pay increases.

However, the union's general secretary, Larry Broderick, believes that it is increasingly likely that there will be no new national agreement.

Against that background, the IBOA's executive committee will hold a special meeting next month to consider "strategies in relation to lodging a 10 per cent pay claim on the banks", he said.

Formal talks on a successor to Sustaining Progress had been due to begin next week, but have been put on hold as a result of the Irish Ferries controversy.

Siptu is in dispute with the company over its plan to replace up to 540 unionised seafarers with cheaper labour from eastern Europe.

A Labour Court recommendation on the matter is expected to be issued early next week. If that fails to resolve the row, unions will expect the Government to act to prevent the company from proceeding with the plan.

They are also seeking wider guarantees from the Government on measures to prevent exploitation of migrant workers before they agree to enter talks.

Union leaders also believe that talks can not begin while the threat of a postal strike remains.

Mr Broderick's comments yesterday point to some of the difficulties ahead even if partnership talks do begin.

He said the differences in priorities between public and private sector workers were now so significant that a single agreement could not meet the expectations of both workers.