Workers at a Kerry Group dairy plant in Northern Ireland are set to go on strike again tomorrow (19 July) in a row over pay.
Unite, the union representing workers at Leckpatrick Creamery in Omagh, said staff are striking after Kerry had offered a “mere 1% pay rise” despite inflation running at 5% and the Consumer Price Index at 4.2%.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Unite industrial regional organiser Gareth Scott said Kerry had tabled higher offers at two other sites in Northern Ireland. “Workers in the Omagh plant feel they are being discriminated in this pay round by Kerry Foods,” he said.
Staff staged a 24-hour strike on 12 July and have planned a third walkout planned for 26 July.
However, a Kerry spokesman played down the size of the strike, saying that of the 100 staff working on the site, “less than half” were taking part in the industrial action.
The spokesman said Kerry was trying to find a solution so the company can “resume normal working conditions on the site”.
Referring to the claims that Kerry was discriminating against staff in Omagh, the spokesman said each site competed in different businesses.
“Negotiations are conducted at site level so that each individual business remains viable and is able to provide employment into the future,” he said.
