Union members at the Affco meat works plant in Rangiuru, just outside Te Puke, will be striking from 5am on Friday.

More than 350 workers at the Rangiuru plant will join about 600 other Affco meat works union members throughout New Zealand going on strike for 24 hours.

'The company has been issued with a strike notice,” says union secretary David Eastlake.

'Te Puke and all our other union members at the Affco sites will be striking; we will be reviewing what we do each day.”

The strike follows a lockout of a further 760 union members at five plants on Wednesday, February 29 after collective negotiations broke down.

'There is about another 800 people striking, joining the 760 people locked out.”

Te Puke is one of three plants that has not locked out union members.

It recently hired 150 new members who are being trained by union members.

David says the Te Puke plant has also been issued with a notice advising that union members will not be training replacement labour from 8am on Saturday.

'The plant will be able to operate, but the people won't be able to accept instructions to train labour, because what the company is basically asking them to do is to train people to take their jobs, so we are not going to do that any longer.

'We are likely to issue further notices for further stoppages unless the company lifts the lockout.”

David says hopefully the company will lift the lockout and get back to talking 'sensibly” with the union about the company's aims.

'We would be happy with a retention of the collective agreement and if the company wants further flexibility we are happy to discuss it with them.”