The Fianna Fáil leader's calling on the coalition to go back to the talks table and negotiate a fairer deal with public sector workers.

Micheál Martin's comments come after it emerged the government is determined to impose pay cuts and an indefinite freeze on increments if agreement is not reached within a fortnight.

Labour Relations Commission chief Kieran Mulvey has also told unions that outsourcing and compulsory redundancy will be on the cards if they don't do a deal.

But in his keynote address to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin tonight, Mr Martin says there is another way.

"The new policy of attacking public servants, and targeting frontline staff for the biggest cuts, is causing so much damage. They need to get back to the negotiating table, commit to a fairer approach and rebuild the trust which their behaviour has destroyed" he said.

Mr Martin also addressed the issue when questioned by reporters:

 Addressing around 4,000 delegates in the RDS in Dublin in a speech that was also broadcast on TV Mr Martin insisted there is a fairer way to recovery and has accused Fine Gael and Labour of just taking their turn in Government.

"They keep saying “the plan is working”. Well, unemployment is up, mortgage arrears have doubled and vital services are disappearing. If that’s how their plan looks, when it’s working, what would it look like, if it wasn’t?" he said.

And he was scathing of the performance of Fine Gael and Labour in Government accusing them of just changing the drivers in the ministerial cars.

"Today Ministers give speeches praising themselves for their reforming zeal but there’s no substance behind it. They have changed the status of who drives their cars – but they haven’t implemented a single significant change in how Ireland is governed. They said they wanted change but actually all they wanted was their turn" he declared.