The outsourced staff of the Verka milk plant on Ferozepur Road continued their demonstration for the fifth consecutive day on Friday under the banner of the Verka Milk and Cattlefeed Plant Outsourced Mulazam Union, Ludhiana (Punjab).
The protest which began on November 10, stems from what workers describe as persistent mismanagement and long pending grievances affecting outsourced employees at the plant.
Highlighting their angst, the protesting workers noted that despite being on protest from past five days, the plant management had made no attempt to hold any dialogue with them. In response, the union leaders closed the main gate of the Ludhiana milk plant and continued their protest demonstration.
Reportedly, a major point of contention for the protesting workers is the deduction of three days salary for their participation in the statewide agitation held over their job security concerns in October.
Jasveer Singh, a state leader of the union, said that workers across Punjab had recently held a three day protest in front of milk plants demanding regularisation. He alleged that the Punjab management, instead of respecting democratic rights, denied leave to employees, cut their salaries across all Verka milk plants and various plant administrations have been troubling and harassing workers in multiple ways.
The unrest escalated after the union wrote to the plant management on November 6, outlining repeated instances of alleged harassment and unfair treatment. Union representatives said that despite earlier written complaints, the management failed to take any corrective action, leaving workers feeling ignored and sidelined.
Notably, the union’s demands include reinstating duties for employees whose shifts were allegedly withdrawn without explanation, approving pending leave applications and ensuring timely reimbursement of petrol and kilometre allowances for field staff as mandated by departmental rules.
The workers have also highlighted the lack of basic facilities at the plant, such as restrooms for drivers and other ground staff. They further pointed to the absence of adequate ambulance and emergency medical arrangements during workplace accidents and the non payment of annual increments that are due this year.
Union leaders said the sustained indifference from the management has left them with no choice but to continue their agitation. They further declared that their struggle would continue until the department accepts their rightful and genuine demands.
When contacted, Daljit Singh, general manager of the Verka milk plant in Ludhiana, said, “The workers are not regular employees but outsourced staff. They have been on agitation for the past five days, yet they are demanding that we pay them for their absence despite no work being done. They want us to adjust these protest days against their pending leaves but that is not logical. Those leaves are meant for health or personal emergencies. How can it be justified if all outsourced workers collectively go on leave, disrupt operations and cause massive losses to the plant but still demand to be paid?”
Responding to allegations about lack of basic amenities such as restrooms and medical facilities, Singh added, “This claim is not correct. We have ensured all necessary facilities within our premises.”