The Unite trade union has announced that 75% of its members among maintenance workers at Dale Farm plants in Northern Ireland have voted in favour of going on strike over a pay dispute.

The factories involved are Cookstown, Co Tyrone; Ballymena, Co Antrim; and Cullybacky, Co Antrim.

A spokesperson for Dale Farm told the Irish Farmers Journal that Unite members represent approximately 1.5% of its total workforce.

Unite called for "last-ditch negotiations" to avoid a strike and "secure a decent pay increase for the maintenance staff at all three sites", union representative Liam Gallagher said in a statement.

According to a Dale Farm spokesperson: “These employees were offered an above average pay increase in April 2018. "We continue to work with Unite to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”