Garda representatives are expected to seek further negotiations on the proposed productivity element of the Government pay offer which was rejected by a majority of city gardai in a ballot at the weekend.
According to sources in the Garda Representative Association (GRA) there is still strong support nationally among the 8,800 members of garda rank for a pay settlement.
Only 2,600 city gardai were polled by the GRA about the proposals to change the rostering system used for shift working in the city divisions of Dublin, Waterford, Cork and Limerick.
Some 1,827 rejected the proposals, mainly, it is understood, because they suspect the new system would reduce overtime payments.
However, according to GRA sources, there is strong support for a pay deal throughout the rest of the Garda. It is understood the GRA will now seek to negotiate agreed changes in the rostering system in the cities.
The GRA is also understood to be strongly opposed to any renewed industrial action along the lines of the two days of "blue flu" industrial action last year when the force, effectively, went on strike.
At a meeting of the GRA central executive committee yesterday, there was unanimous opposition to any renewal of industrial action.
The pay offer made to gardai would give them around 13 per cent over the national pay settlements accepted by other public and private sector work forces. Gardai argued that their pay rates had fallen behind other sectors over the previous 15 years.
Pay negotiations leading to the latest Government offer to gardai have been taking place for two years.
If the deal is accepted in a national poll of GRA members, they would receive substantial payments in back-pay covering the negotiation period.