The Private Sector Committee of ICTU is still meeting over whether or not to recommend the new partnership national agreement to its constituent unions.
The meeting was expected to adjourn at 4 p.m. but an informed source has said the committee was still discussing the pay terms on offer in the agreement. A number of those unions have serious reservations about the deal.
MANDATE said it was 'disappointed' with the level of pay awards proposed, arguing that the offer of seven per cent over 18 months was less than the rate of inflation.
Following last week's negotiations with the Government, other private sector unions indicated that it was possible that a ballot on the deal would be put to members without a recommendation.
The most recent partnership agreement, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, was passed without a recommendation.
One of the country's biggest unions, the ATGWU, has already come out against the deal, which it described as "woefully inadequate".
Other private sector unions have also expressed serious doubts. Mr John Tierney, the general secretary of AMICUS, said clarification was needed on provisions committing unions to binding arbitration on matters of disagreement.
Some union officials believe this will restrict their ability to take action, even in cases where employers abuse the "inability to pay" provisions.
Employers groups also appear pessimistic. Mr Brendan Butler of IBEC said last night there could be a deal within 72 hours but only if parties dropped some of their demands.
"Each of the four groups has to accept that some of its items won't receive immediate priority," he said.
"I still sense that expectation levels remain somewhat unrealistic. There needs to be a severe dose of reality, or we could be here for 100 years talking," he said.