Wamul employees demonstrate at the Purabi Dairy office on Wednesday. Picture by Biju Boro

July 28: The supply of milk in the city was disrupted as employees of West Assam Milk Producers’ Co-Operative Union Limited, producer of the popular Purabi brand, went on a two-day strike from today seeking fulfilment of their long-standing demands.

Purabi supplies around 7,000 to 8,000 litres of milk and milk products in the city everyday. The strike ends tomorrow evening. Most retailers of Purabi said they have been receiving inquiries since morning from anxious buyers who depend mostly on this brand.

The Sramik Union of West Assam Milk Producers’ Co-Operative Union has demanded that the employees should be paid 55 per cent of their salaries as dearness allowance at par with the state government employees. At present the employees get 18 per cent as allowance.

Managing director of West Assam Milk Producers’ Co-Operative Union Limited, J. Choudhury, said the two-day strike would adversely affect their business. “There is already a scarcity of milk due to the floods. And now this strike will create more problems for us.”

Choudhury said the strike would affect all three shifts of production, which would resume only on Thursday evening. “This is very bad for business. It will give our competitors an edge,” he added. Altogether 135 employees of Purabi have joined the dharna against the management for their alleged indifference.

Secretary of the employees’ union D. Talukdar said they had submitted a four-point memorandum to the managing director in February this year but have did not receive any positive reply.

“The board had already passed a resolution but it has not come into effect till date. According to the resolution, house rent allowance, medical allowance and dearness allowances were to be paid to each employee. But no initiative has been taken to pay us.”

The union has also demanded that any person who has been holding a particular post for a term of 10 years or more, should be granted promotion.

They also demanded that the employees be paid their salaries in the first week of every month. Talukdar claimed that the employees were being paid in the last week of the following month.

The two-day strike is the fifth phase of their agitation that started on March 25 this year. Talukdar claimed that the management has not taken any interest in the welfare of the employees and it was this indifference that has forced them to resort to such a step.