"IT'S the first time in the history of the company we've decided with the onions to have an official stoppage," said Mr Peter McMahon, human resource manager of a food processing firm, CPC Ireland, in Inchicore, Dublin.
He was speaking yesterday after the assembly line stopped to observe the minute's silence called by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for 12.30 pm in support of peace in Northern Ireland.
Technically, of course, it was not an official stoppage. Under the 1990 Industrial Relations Act a secret ballot must be held before industrial action is undertaken by any group of workers, and ordinarily the ICTU is a model of industrial decorum. But yesterday was not a normal day in many work places.
ICTU's research and information officer, Mr Ollie Donohue described the response as "absolutely fabulous". He estimated that more than one million workers, by no means all of them trade unionists, responded to ICTU's call.
Not only industrial plants like, CPC, but large retailers such as Clerys, supermarkets like Superquinn, the country's banks and semi state companies cooperated with the ICTU call. Even companies that could not stop their production processes, like Cadbury's or the ESB, facilitated workers in making their protest at the end of the 17 month old ceasefire.
Clerys began broadcasting news of the stoppage to staff and customers from noon. Mr Don Nugent said the company had decided to "enter into the spirit of the thing" despite the problems of doing so in a large retail outlet.
AIB and Bank of Ireland branches throughout the country were notified electronically of the stoppage.
At CPC Ireland the human scale of the operation, just over 200 employees in one small complex, made the impact more intimate. The clanking of the assembly line stopped and the ranks of Knorr Quick Soup packs wobbled to a halt. The workers in their white uniforms, head dresses and shoe covering, gathered to mark the moment.
Afterwards a SIPTU shop steward, Mr John McMullen, said his members were "100 per cent behind it". Of the peace process he added "At least it saved lives. I don't think it will be defeated. I think it will carry on."
The manufacturing manager Mr Gerry Keane, said of the stoppage. "It has presented difficulties. It has probably cost a lot more than the minute that was in it. But we felt it was a worthwhile contribution."
Even workers coming into CPC to start a shift after the one minute stoppage were wearing white ribbons.
However, Mr Dick Spring's announcement on the Gay Byrne radio programme that white ribbons would be available at public offices throughout the country for members of the public who wished to show their support for the peace process was as much news to civil servants and employees of semi state companies staffing those offices as it was to everyone else.