The Avonmore-Waterford Group (AWG) is expected to announce today that it is seeking around 900 redundancies across several of its operations. It is expected that plants in Co Waterford will bear the brunt of the layoffs, with some speculation the company's plant in Dungarvan could be closed.

The Premier Dairies plant in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, which is owned by the group, has been the subject of closure rumours, but sources say it is unlikely to be shut, though it may be scaled down.

The redundancies will be sought under the basis of the voluntary redundancy package which unions have been voting on over the last few weeks.

The unions involved will announce today the result of that ballot and are scheduled to meet in Portlaoise to decide on their course of action.

The redundancies are necessary, says the company, because production facilities have been duplicated since the merger of the two co-ops during the summer.

A figure of 900 redundancies would save the company up to £145 million per annum.

The company employs 4,500 people in the Republic, of whom 2,300 are in ICTU. The majority of the company's 12,000 employees are based outside the Republic, mainly in Britain, Belgium and Germany. Fewer redundancies are expected to be made in these divisions.

The company will brief workers at all plants this morning and is holding three press conferences, in Waterford, Navan and Dublin.

The amount of capital investment made in a plant in recent years is being used as one of the criteria in deciding which ones to close, company sources say.

The package, set at six weeks pay for every year of service, seems to have found favour with many workers.