A Fianna Fáil councillor has rejected suggestions that it was inappropriate for him to ask his foreign-born employees to vote for him.
The Killarney Council of Trade Unions issued a statement yesterday saying migrant workers were coming under "undue pressure".
"Migrant workers should understand the cynical pressure from a party who is pressurising them for their votes while on the very same day they are promoting and sponsoring a referendum to exclude them and their children from gaining citizenship of this country," said council chairman Mr Patrick J Cronin.
Several hundred non-nationals have registered to vote in the register of electors for the town council which has a total of 7,700 electors this year.
Fianna Fáil councillor and director of Fáilte Ireland, hotelier Mr Patrick O'Donoghue said he was baffled by the statement, although he suspected it was directed at himself.
Mr O'Donoghue, the employer of some 200 foreign-born workers, around 100 of whom are EU nationals, said he had asked all his workers, Irish and non-Irish, for their vote. He had asked them to continue their preferences for the party. He made no apology for this.
He said he was not putting any pressure on his workers to vote for him as his relationship with them was too important to do so.
"I am not sure if this statement points directly at me. It is a bit sad that this note has been introduced in what has been a very clean campaign up to now.
It is not necessary to attempt to discredit candidates," said Mr O'Donoghue.