The Dunnes Stores strike of 1984–87 led directly to an Irish government ban on the importation of South African fruit and vegetables. One hundred and fifty Dunnes Stores employees were on strike in the Cork branch, and at the end of February 1983, the staff of Dunnes Stores in Killarney in Co Kerry voted to strike and a picket was placed on the premises. The strike, known as Dunnes Stores Strike against Apartheid, lasted almost three years and resulted in the introduction of Irish Government sanctions against South Africa. Dunnes and MFI Furniture Centres (based in Dublin) were both importing furniture, while Dunnes stocked South African fruits and tinned fruits. In 2015, a plaque, one of two, to the Dunnes Stores strike was erected to honour the ‘Shop Workers Strike Against Apartheid’.

Source: The Irish Times December 14, 2025 13:37 UTC