The Dublin McDonald's Strike of 1979 was a strike in two McDonald's in Ireland in 1979 with two demands: union recognition and an end to low pay.
Background
McDonald's had just opened up two shops in Dublin, Ireland and had paid people 85p an hour, a very low rate even for the catering industry. After the workers there joined the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) management refused to recognise the union or even to talk over the phone to the union officials. Eventually, the enraged workers launched a strike on the 16th of March.
Events
McDonald's instantly raised the hourly wage to £1 and offered free chips to anyone who would eat at the McDonald's (and thus crossing the picket line). Despite two strikers being arrested, morale remained high until McDonald's went to court and picketing was heavily restricted. Only three people at any one time and not at all during the last hour of business. Three strikers, Jimmy Mackin, Noel Boyle and Sean Mrozek, were ordered not to picket at all. Noel Boyle and Jimmy Mackin continued to picket and the union abandoned any hope of winning the strike. The strikers organised a march with 1,000 sympathisers, but the union wouldn't attend meeting or aid the strike.
McDonald’s could have been closed if their supplies had been stopped. Dockers and airport workers refused to handle the scab food. Then the supplies started to come in through the North. The union knew that this food was being stored in the Superdine warehouse outside Naas but wouldn’t even put a picket on the place. In short they made no real attempt to stop the scab supplies getting in. The union officials even went so far as to give a list of ‘approved’ picketers to the Gardai [[[police]]] and to the boss. Leading to police harassing strikers by visiting them at their home. Luckily, other ITGWU members joined the picket, raised awareness and donated money as did socialist organisations, other unions and student groups.
Results
The strike led to a wage increase to £1.15p an hour, but the working week was cut by 5 hours making the increase almost worthless. Howevere the union was recognised despite union leadership openly despising the strikers, and the union won no further improvements for the workers at McDonald's.