O’Kane agrees £200,000 compensation package

Northern Ireland processor O’Kane Poultry of Ballymena has agreed a settlement that will see workers receiving more than £200,000 compensation in a dispute over the withdrawal of overtime payments.

O’Kane had been in dispute with the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union over the cut back of overtime payments in April 2009.

The company had indicated that this was necessary due to the economic situation, but the union had argued there had been insufficient consultation.

Unable to resolve the dispute, both parties went to a Labour Relations Agency hearing. In a settlement, the company has agreed a payment of £23,566 to be shared between the union’s 44 members and an additional £150 each for another 1280 employees.

A spokesman for solicitors Thompsons McClure, which represented the union, commented: “We are pleased that, through a combination of litigation and negotiation, we have secured a positive result for union members.”

Tony O’Neill, managing director of O’Kane’s, told local media that the company had engaged in an extensive consultation process.

He added: “We approached the Labour Relations Agency in an effort to achieve the best outcome for all our employees and for the company as a whole. The result of this mediation process is that all our employees have received compensation, and we are satisfied with this outcome.”