Some 1,500 workers at the Bausch and Lomb contact lens plant in Waterford have been issued with protective notice in an industrial relations row.
The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) said today a shop steward at has been suspended by the company, which it claimed had refused to follow agreed procedures and allow third party conciliation by the Labour Relations Commission.
TEEU said it will mount official pickets from Sunday evening to defend its member from what it claimed was "victimisation".
In a statement, the union said the issuing of protective notice to 1,500 other employees is a "flagrant provocation by management because the shop steward concerned has only been suspended for five days and even if the company refuses to abide by procedures and maintains its lockout for that period normal working will resume subsequently".
According to the union, the dispute dates back to last July when management threatened to suspend the shop steward over an alleged disciplinary offence.
"Previously two written warnings were issued to the same shop steward but subsequently withdrawn for lack of evidence," the statement said.
"The decision to suspend the shop steward was appealed internally by the TEEU and, when this failed to resolve the matter, it asked for the case to be referred to the Labour Relations Commission and Labour Court if necessary, as provided for in agreements.
"However the company has refused to attend the LRC and is suspending the shop steward without pay from 9pm on Sunday. If the suspension goes ahead the TEEU will regard this as a lockout and official pickets will be mounted in support of their shop floor representative."
Bausch and Lomb could not be contacted for comment this evening.