Dale Farm drivers and engineers to strike over pay

Drivers and engineers at one of Northern Ireland’s biggest agri-food businesses have voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay.

Trade union Unite said Dale Farm’s staff would begin three days of strike action on 20 August, followed by a further three-day strike the following week.

The action will escalate first to a five-day strike and then to an all-out strike if a resolution is not found by week four, the union said.

Unite added that milk collections will be disrupted and multiple Dale Farm sites in Northern Ireland will be affected.

Dale Farm said that contingency plans are in place and milk will be collected, as normal, during this period.

“We also want to assure our customers and our consumers that there will be no interruption to the supply of any of our products,” Dale Farm said.

The company added that it values all staff and believes the offer put to workers was “very fair”.

It hopes the union reconsiders strike action.

Drivers and engineers at Dale Farm are paid less than at other comparable firms in Northern Ireland, according to Unite.

The union’s general secretary Sharon Graham added: “Dale Farm is a highly successful enterprise and can afford to pay their skilled workforce properly.”

Dale Farm is a farmer-owned co-op which produces its own branded products such as Dromona butter, as well as providing ingredients to other companies.

It said it remains open to further discussion with Unite in the hope of finding a resolution.