No pay deal expected as talks go into overtime

PROLONGED negotiations between employers and trade unions continued last night in Government buildings, in a last-ditch effort to strike a new partnership deal.

However, going into talks yesterday, both sides were dampening down expectations that compromise could be reached on the pay elements of the talks — with the gap between them considered to be too wide.

Unions have sought a national pay agreement that would give PAYE employees an increase of ‘inflation plus a little’.