Mid-ranking gardaí have voted overwhelmingly in favour of new pay proposals.

The executive of the Garda Representative Association will meet today to decide steps towards implementing a €50m pay deal, after members voted to back it yesterday.

Three quarters of rank-and-file gardaí with the GRA who returned ballots have voted to accept a Labour Court €50m pay deal, in a move which is certain to speed up talks with other unions.

The association representing middle-ranking gardaí says it will not engage with the Public Service Pay Commission.

Garda sergeants and inspectors will begin voting today on the Labour Court proposals that averted their strike action earlier this month.

The Government may have to borrow the money from the international markets to fund the recently-agreed Garda pay rise, it was claimed today.

The bulk of frontline gardaí should earn between €3,980 and €5,100 extra a year under the Labour Court deal, according to a financial analysis by the Garda Representative Association.

The head of the union representing rank-and-file gardaí in their negotiations with the Government has survived a motion of no confidence.

Update 4pm: Gardai might have to cut frontline services to cover the cost of a €40m pay deal agreed at the Labour Court last week.

Trade union leaders have demanded that Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe opens discussions on a new public sector pay deal immediately or he will face a free-for-all pay war with workers.

The recent garda pay deal can’t be extended to the rest of the public service, the finance minister warned.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe are to be grilled by furious ministers over the Garda deal, which could cause chaos for the budgets of other departments.

The Cabinet will meet tomorrow morning to discuss accepting the garda pay deal.

The three remaining strike days planned for this month by members of the Garda Representative Association have been deferred.

The Finance Minister Michael Noonan has warned that extending the pay deal given to gardaí across the public service is simply not affordable.

The Garda Representative Association says it was threatened with bringing the Army onto the streets if they went ahead with their strike.

Pressure is mounting on the Government to fast-track the new Public Service Pay Commission as it scrambles to cope with mounting pay demands by unions in the wake of a €40m proposed deal for gardaí.

It was unclear last night if this Friday’s planned Garda strike will be resolved at today’s meeting of the Garda Representative Association as an escalating internal dispute is set to dominate.

Fresh demands for extra pay for public workers, fuelled by a special deal for gardaí, are threatening to unravel the public sector pay deal and drain government spending from other areas.

On October 1, the Irish Examiner said the Government had to act to avoid the “doomsday scenario” of frontline gardaí going on strike.

Proposed pay increases to gardaí will not cost the taxpayer extra and will be paid for from within existing budgets, according to the Tánaiste and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Latest: The Taoiseach is insisting there can be no review of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, following pay concessions to gardaí.

The Garda Representative Association said the exemptions they have given to 18 units and areas will provide a “skeletal service” to protect the community and the State today.

Latest: The Garda Strike is off.

The courts service has said people should assume their court date stands for tomorrow unless a local notice says otherwise.

Nothing is safe from these three!

Latest: The first Garda strike in the history of the state will go ahead tomorrow.

The Tánaiste has urged both garda associations to suspend tomorrow's planned strike - while the Labour Court draws up proposals.

The Garda Commissioner has been accused of making empty threats over tomorrow's possible strike.

The Garda strike may be passing the point of no return.

Talks between rank and file Gardaí and the Department of Justice have resumed at the Labour Court tonight.

The Taoiseach has said "there is no question" of the army standing in for the Gardaí if they go ahead with their strike on Friday.

Latest: Talks between the Garda Representative Association and the Department of Justice have been adjourned until 8pm this evening.