The first ever strike at a Fruit of the Loom plant in Donegal was staged yesterday as a dispute over a change in working practices for hourly paid employees escalated.
The dispute affected 300 workers and led to production being halted at the firm's Buncrana plant. A notice of intention to strike was issued over two weeks ago a subsequent meeting between management and the union failed to resolve the issue.
Some 100 non-production staff were not affected by yesterday's stoppage. "This is the first of a series of planned one-day stoppages. There will be another in a fortnight and weekly after that until the matter is resolved," SIPTU branch secretary, Mr Seán Reilly, said.
At its peak, Fruit of the Loom employed over 2,800 people in Donegal and Derry, but much of the work has been transferred to lower cost countries in the past five years.
Factories in Malin, Milford, Raphoe and Buncrana were shut. There is still a spinning plant in Derry while knitting, dyeing and cutting is carried out in Buncrana. The material is then sent to Morocco for sewing into garments.