Industrial action by workers at Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd in Kerry was suspended yesterday pending negotiations between management and Siptu at the Labour Relations Commission.
Some 430 of the 450 staff at the Killarney-based company had been involved in an overtime ban and one-day stoppages since March 13th.
They were in dispute with the company over a number of issues including the transfer of pensions from a defined benefits scheme to a defined contributions scheme.
They had also raised concerns in relation to changes in sick pay, the payment of wage bonuses and basic pay.
Liebherr, which builds container cranes and specialist equipment, has been operating in Killarney since 1958 and is one of the longest established IDA-supported companies in Ireland.
First established in Switzerland in 1949, the company employs a workforce of 24,000 in more than 100 companies around the world.
Following discussions yesterday, Siptu agreed to suspend industrial action for a week, pending talks at the commission.
Siptu branch organiser Donal Tobin said suspension will enable both parties to begin meaningful negotiations.
"If significant progress is achieved during this time, then industrial action can be deferred for a further period."
He said the compromise was reached with a view to finding a speedy resolution to all issues in dispute - including the pension scheme, sick-pay scheme, management's changed agenda and basic pay - in the interest of both the company and union members.
"Discussions on the closing off of the defined benefit pension scheme have been on-going since 2004, and despite protracted negotiations, at local and national level including the Labour Court, the issue remained unresolved. Discussions on the other issues have been on-going since 2005, with no resolution in sight," he said.
The union welcomed the decision by the company to enter into "meaningful negotiations" to try to resolve the other outstanding issues.
