Technicians are continuing a protest at Kerry Foods in Co Wicklow following the suspension of a colleague yesterday.

The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) mounted pickets on the plant in Shillelagh this morning after a shop steward was suspended in an industrial dispute over working conditions and pay.

The TEEU said there has been a simmering dispute at the plant since April 18th. It claims the company decided to unilaterally change the terms and conditions of craft workers without any prior discussion, negotiation or agreement with the union.

"Despite numerous requests for dialogue with the company and a return to agreed terms and conditions, the TEEU has been left with no option but to hold a secret ballot for industrial action," assistant general secretary of the TEEU Arthur Hall said this morning.

A work to rule and overtime ban was implemented by the TEEU on April 18th and this escalated over the last week to a complete ban on paperwork.

Mr Hall said two days of talks at the LRC last week failed to resolve the matter because the company rejected proposals that would have allowed for the industrial action to be suspended and for talks to continue.

Kerry Foods said the employee was suspended with pay after after refusing to implement a standard product safety procedure.

More than 20 of his colleagues joined him in a sit-in protests at the plant’s canteen yesterday evening.

A spokesman for Kerry Foods said the plant, which has 700 workers, was operating as normal.

“We reorganised working conditions and pay to ensure the viability of the facility. This dispute is led by TEEU which represent about 34 craft workers. We attended two sessions at the LRC (Labour Relations Commission) in the past week but unfortunateoly couldn’t reach an agreement,” he said.

He said the “vast majority” of employees at the site were part of the Siptu trade union, which had accepted the new pay and working conditions.