The printers' union Amicus has urged a Co Louth company to try to resolve an industrial dispute through the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to avert a strike due to begin this morning.
Union spokeswoman Claire Keane said the dispute centred on compulsory redundancy notices issued to two of the 22 staff at Drogheda-based company North East Printers.
However, Liam Herrity, managing director of the company, denied any of the redundancies were compulsory, and said that two people were leaving the company having agreed terms.
One of them was offered part-time work with the company as a van driver, he added.
He also said it had not received in writing any details about the dispute, and as such did not see why it should need the services of the LRC. He said the redundancies were needed because of a downturn in business.
Ms Keane disagreed with Mr Herrity's assertion that the union represented less than half of the workforce. The LRC offered conciliation meetings three times in the last week but the company did not accept them.