A union served a formal strike notice on Tuesday on the management of Jamaica's largest bauxite and alumina processing plant, after renewed wage negotiations broke down without agreement, a union official said.

Vincent Morrison, president of the National Workers Union, told reporters the 72-hour strike notice served on Alumina Partners of Jamaica, or Alpart, began at 8 a.m. (1300 GMT) on Tuesday and would expire on Friday.

"If the company does not improve its offer, we will take industrial action," Morrison said.

Alpart, located in the south-central region of the mountainous Caribbean island, is jointly owned by Russia's United Company Rusal and Norway's Norsk Hydro. It has a production capacity of 1.45 million tonnes of alumina annually.

The more than 1,000 workers at the Alpart plant are seeking a 45 percent wage hike spread over three years. The company has offered 33 percent.

The strike notice was served after 41 meetings between management and union representatives.

The union says management is discriminating against workers. It says management approved a 40 percent pay increase for supervisors.

The last three-year contract expired on March 31.

Jamaica's Ministry of Labour is expected to intervene, if both sides remain deadlocked.