"This is more than a job, it is a way of life for everybody here." Dara Larkin has spent 14 years in quality systems administration for Dundalk Packaging while her husband, James, is a contract electrician with its sister plant, the Great Northern Brewery (GNB).
They now face the probable loss of one and maybe two incomes.
"It is the uncertainty; one day you have a secure job and a future with the company, the next day it is gone and in the meantime the economy is slowing down," she said.
The future is unclear for the GNB - last summer, when Guinness announced its decision to close the packaging plant, it also announced downsizing of the brewery If it is hit next, her husband's livelihood will also be in doubt.
The Larkins are one of hundreds of families that have depended on Guinness for employment since brewing began on the site of Dundalk Packaging nearly 300 years ago.
Across the town at the Great Northern Brewery the atmosphere was equally gloomy.
The pickets were in place at 5.50 a.m. yesterday and will remain in place around the clock until the dispute is resolved.