Dale Farm and Unite reach agreement to avert strike action

Dale Farm has confirmed that strike action by its drivers and engineers has been called off after reaching agreement with Unite the Union, bringing an end to the recent pay dispute.

The resolution was reached on 21 August following a process of collective conciliation.

The deal prevents industrial action that had been scheduled to begin earlier this week, with Unite previously warning that walkouts could disrupt milk collection and production across Northern Ireland.

In a statement, a Dale Farm spokesperson said:

“Following a process of collective conciliation, we have reached agreement with Unite the Union and a small group of our workforce, bringing this matter to a resolution.

“This agreement means there will be no industrial action in the coming weeks, allowing all parties to focus on delivering quality dairy products for our customers and consumers, and our farmers can be assured that milk will continue to be collected as normal.

“As a cooperative, we value our employee relations and are committed to continuing to foster a supportive workplace and values led culture.”

The agreement follows weeks of tension between the union and the dairy co-operative, after workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in pursuit of improved pay. Unite had warned that widespread disruption to milk collection was likely if the dispute was not resolved.

Dale Farm, one of Northern Ireland’s largest dairy processors, employs around 1,000 people and supplies major supermarkets and food service companies with milk, cheese and other dairy products.

The settlement has been welcomed across the agri-food sector, avoiding what could have been one of the most disruptive strikes in Northern Ireland’s dairy industry in recent years.