Employees at Kerry Foods in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, have voted to hold three 24-hour stoppages over issues with potential redundancy packages.

According to SIPTU, management at the company has threatened to make 31 workers redundant without any form of agreement.

‘Management has been notified that our members will conduct three 24-hour work stoppages, on Tuesday 6, Tuesday 13 and Tuesday 20 March at the Carrickmacross plant,” SIPTU organiser Jim McVeigh said.

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“The company knows that in order to avoid our members taking this industrial action an agreement to implement a voluntary redundancy scheme is required. This must include an adequate redundancy package for those members of the workforce who wish to leave.”

Reduction in finances

It’s believed that the company has experienced a reduction in finances due to the effect on sterling after the UK Brexit vote, which has resulted in the proposed redundancies.

There are over 300 SIPTU members working at the plant and Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has written to the company requesting that it exhausts all avenues before imposing job losses on employees which would have a negative effect on the community.

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