The executive of the State's largest union, Siptu, has recommended acceptance of the terms of the new national partnership agreement.
There has been considerable resistance within the trade union movement to the pay element of the pay provisions of Towards 2016, which was agreed last month after protracted discussions.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) and employers group Ibec agreed to a pay rise of 10 per cent graduated over 27 months. The lower paid will receive an extra 0.5 per cent under the terms of the deal.
Siptu issued a statement today saying the proposed pay increase "would exceed all available projections of inflation".
The executive also said the deal offered substantial measures to combat exploitation and job displacement. As part of the deal, the Labour Inspectorate will be significantly expanded and new legislation will be introduced to protect workers from displacement by lower-paid workers - usually from abroad.
Siptu delegates will be balloted over the next five weeks ahead of an Ictu special delegate conference on September 5 that which unions will vote on whether to accept the deal.
The executive of the Communications Workers' Union decided yesterday to recommend acceptance of the agreement and balloting will take place over the next four weeks.
But a group of trade unionists, including Siptu officials last week urged rejection of the deal.
Among their concerns was that the pay element was too low and a lack of a local bargaining clause as a counterbalance to the inability-to-pay clause enjoyed by employers.
ATGWU regional secretary Michael O'Reilly said last Friday: "When companies claim to be doing poorly they can refuse to pay the agreed wage increase. However, when they are prospering, they can refuse workers a fair share of that growth. Employers are not only getting two bites at the cherry, they're getting the whole cherry."
Today's recommendation comes after a special two-day consultative conference of Siptu's executive council.
The satement issued by general president Jack O'Connor, general secretary Joe O'Flynn and vice president Brendan Hayes said that "major battles remain to be fought on the critically important issue of pensions".
"While our capacity to fight them is not inhibited by any aspect of the proposed agreement, it does provides for a process through the National Implementation Body to deal with disputes concerning attacks on pension schemes."