Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton has called on both sides in the Siptu dispute at the Liebherr Container Crane company in Killarney to "bear in mind what is at stake".

Mr Bruton said the "industrial relations machinery of the plant" remained ready to provide support to help resolve the dispute at the factory in Killarney, Co Kerry, after some 300 Siptu workers, just under half the employees, voted against Labour Court proposals on Tuesday.

The secret ballot saw 160 of the workers reject an 11-point plan which would have seen changes in overtime and the imposition of mandatory holidays in return for a 2.5 per cent pay increase backdated to May 2012. Mr Bruton urged all parties to re-engage in discussions.

“Liebherr is a good employer and a key facility in the Kerry region. The company has provided jobs and a good living for a number of generations of people in the region and I hope that the company will maintain and create more jobs for future generations as well

“It is important that all parties bear in mind what is at stake in this situation and the potential consequences for Killarney and the broader southwest region”.

There is a fear in the region that the future of the factory, one of the longest-established multinationals in the country, is under threat.