The number of people contacting the Health and Safety Authority's anti-bullying response unit has more than doubled in the last 12 months.
The unit, set up in May 2001, receives an average of 70 telephone calls a week, a rise of approximately 30 calls a week in the previous 12 months.
The news comes a week after Dunnes Stores workers at the Parkway Shopping Centre in Limerick staged a one-day protest at what they claim is the company's failure to address issues of bullying and harassment at the store.
"I think people are more aware that the HSA is looking to make sure there is a policy in place, and are contacting us with any complaints and queries they might have," according to a Health and Safety Authority spokeswoman.
"We have around 350 official complaints on file at the moment, covering all of 2002 up to the present." Under the 1989 Safety Health and Welfare at work Act, an inspector can ask to see a company's safety statement or anti-bullying policy.
Mr Brian Higgins, divisional organiser with Mandate, the trade union which is representing the striking workers in Limerick, said the workers were unhappy with the response they received from Dunnes Stores' management to the strike.
"They have shown disregard for their staff," he said.
"The company has made no effort to defend its position."
The strike, which took place last Friday, involved nearly 300 Mandate members of a store staff of approximately 350, according to Mr Higgins.
Dunnes Stores management from other supermarkets were drafted in to keep the store open.
The Mandate workers plan to meet again this week to assess the situation, and are not ruling out a further stoppage at the centre.
A spokeswoman for Dunnes Stores yesterday declined to comment.