Shutters come down in Galway

DAY TWO of the Dunnes Stores, strike was marked in Galway by the shutters coming down on outlets in the city and apologies to customers being posted up by management. Picketers were more than happy with the continuing level of public support for their action and the fact that only a few customers were using the Dunnes outlets.

Pickets continued at 10 stores in Galway, Sligo, Castlebar, Ballina and Athlone where an estimated 1,000 workers who are members of Mandate were out.

"All staff have come out on the picket, and the support from customers continues to be very good, which is something we appreciate," said the union's western regional organiser, Ms Linda Tanham.

In Galway some 420 people were manning pickets and less than a dozen people were reported as having passed it. At Dunnes' main store in Terryland, the strike was reflected in the fact that fewer than 30 cars were in a car-park that would normally have more than 300 vehicles during business hours.

A shop steward at Terryland, Mr Willie Corcoran, said that indications of ongoing support and the coming down of the shutters were heartening from their members' point of view as they felt it would increase pressure on management to find a resolution.

The impact on businesses attached to Dunnes' outlets was clear with five of the seven shops in the Terryland centre closed yesterday. Ms Tanham said it was unfortunate that other shops were affected by the dispute.

. All five Dunnes Stores in Limerick and Ennis were closed yesterday, writes Arthur Quinlan.

This included the 50,000 sq ft Ennis branch, the largest in the mid-west, which did not close during the dispute last year. Only 90 of the 218 employees are members of the union. Many of them left the union before the last dispute when they declared their disagreement with the decision to take strike action.