The Taoiseach has strongly denied he had an argument with the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, over Friday's so-called "blue flu" day of industrial action. A spokesman for Mr Ahern yesterday described the report in a Sunday news- paper as "absolute rubbish".
Senior sources said efforts would be made later this week to bring the Garda Representative Association back to the negotiating table, despite Government insistence that it could not breach public sector pay guidelines to satisfy the Garda claims.