The Irish Exporters Association has called on the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheal Martin, to intervene in the Irish Ferries dispute.
The strike, which has halted all the company's ferry services, entered its second week today with no sign of a resolution.
661 of the company's 1,200 staff have been laid off in the row over plans to replace 150 staff on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route with cheaper agency staff.
The cost to Irish Ferries of suspending all services has been estimated at around €1.5m a week, with further losses to businesses and exporters as yet unknown.
Last Friday's talks at the Labour Relations Commission broke down. SIPTU said it was offering cost savings worth €2.4m without outsourcing, but the company said outsourcing would deliver savings worth between €5-6m.
At the moment there is no sign of any other intervention that could break the logjam because the two sides are just too far apart.
With Christmas looming ever nearer, the situation could get critical for businesses - particularly exporters - who want the Government to intervene.
