Dale Farm, the Northern Irish based dairy co-op, has hit back at claims that suggest that it has refused to enter union negotiations, according to the Irish Times.
The dairy co-op is accused of failing to enter into union negotiations over a pay dispute that could now escalate into strike action.
Union Dispute
Unite, the union group, has claimed that 75% of maintenance workers employed at three Dale Farm plants have voted in favour of strike action over the pay row.
It claims that workers are unhappy that they have not been offered the same wage increase as production workers.
It added that negotiations to resolve the issue had collapsed, but a spokeswoman for Dale Farm has rejected the claims.
“These employees were offered an above average pay increase in April 2018,” she said.
“We have been in liaison with Unite and have not at any stage refused to discuss queries around pay increases or the concerns of the employees involved. We continue to work with Unite to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”
She said the number of employees represented by the union group is approximately 1.5% of its workforce.
Dale Farm recently reported a group turnover of €546 million in its end of year report, an increase of 24% on the previous year.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
