Trade union Unite, which represents workers at the Pilgrim’s site in Enniskillen, has confirmed that workers at the plant will take strike action from Monday 17 August to Saturday 29 August.

Talks at the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) broke down yesterday (Tuesday) after the company failed to improve its pay offer and address unequal pay for breaks.

Workers in Enniskillen are paid little more than the legal minimum, even though Pilgrim’s profits increased by over 21 per cent to £128.4 million in 2024.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite will not tolerate employers using poverty pay to drive up profits. Pilgrim’s can fully afford to pay workers in Enniskillen properly, and our members have Unite’s full support in their fight for pay justice.”

As well as a decent pay increase, workers are demanding an end to the current inequality surrounding paid breaks whereby day shift workers are only paid for 15-minute breaks while other workers are paid for 30 minutes.

Unite regional officer Greg O’Kane said: “If management is interested in resolving this dispute, they need to come back to the table with an improved offer.  Anything else is an insult to the workers who have driven Pilgrim’s success”.