Marvin OnumonuTata Steel workers in Northern Ireland will start a 48-hour strike at 8am on 18th June, following a unanimous vote for industrial action.
The site in Lisburn employs around 30 people, most of whom are striking after years of pay falling behind.
Unite is calling for a pay deal to restore wage gaps that have disappeared as the national minimum wage has risen.
The company’s HGV drivers, process and machine operators, and crane users are now on or just above the minimum wage, making them some of the lowest paid Tata staff in the UK.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “It is disgraceful that skilled workers are only paid the minimum wage.
“Tata is a hugely wealthy company that can fully afford to pay its workers fairly. In taking this strike action for pay decency, the Tata Steel workers in Lisburn can count on the full backing of Unite.”
The walkout is expected to halt production of sheet metal and slip coil at the Lisburn site and disrupt deliveries to local customers.
If no deal is reached after this strike, Unite plans to escalate the action further.
Joanne McWilliams, regional officer at Unite, said, “Tata’s management has brought about this industrial dispute through its longstanding failure to fairly increase pay.
“This strike will shut down production. Tata will very quickly run into difficulties supplying its customers but management can end this strike today if they come forward with a proposal that meets our members’ expectations.”
Workplace Journal has reached out to Tata Steel for comment.
