Outsourced staff at the Verka Ludhiana plant enter their fifth day of protest, alleging harassment and demanding wages withheld for previous agitation.
The Verka milk plant on Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana, Punjab, has seen its operations severely disrupted as outsourced staff, organized under the Verka Milk and Cattlefeed Plant Outsourced Mulazam Union, escalated their demonstration to a fifth consecutive day. The core of the conflict, which began on November 10th, stems from what the workers describe as persistent mismanagement, harassment, and long-pending grievances impacting the outsourced workforce. In a sign of rising frustration, union leaders closed the main gate of the key dairy processing facility, asserting that management has failed to initiate any dialogue despite the sustained protest.
A primary point of contention fueling the workers’ anger is the deduction of three days’ salary for their participation in a previous statewide agitation held in October, which focused on job security and demands for regularization across Punjab. Jasveer Singh, a state union leader, alleged that plant administrations throughout Punjab not only denied leave requests for the protest but also proceeded to cut salaries and engage in various forms of harassment against those who participated. This action is viewed by the union as a denial of their democratic rights.
Beyond the salary cuts, the Union has presented a list of critical operational demands that management allegedly failed to address despite earlier written complaints. These demands include the reinstatement of duties for employees whose shifts were withdrawn without explanation, the approval of pending leave applications, and the timely reimbursement of petrol and kilometre allowances for field staff, as mandated by departmental rules. Additionally, workers highlighted the lack of basic amenities, such as restrooms for drivers, inadequate emergency medical arrangements at the plant, and the non-payment of annual increments due this year.
Daljit Singh, the General Manager of the Verka milk plant in Ludhiana, countered the union’s claims, stating that the protesting staff are outsourced workers, not regular employees. Singh’s defense centers on the financial feasibility of the demands, arguing that it is not “logical” to pay employees for five days of absence when “no work being done” has led to operational losses. He specifically rejected the union’s demand to adjust protest days against pending leaves, arguing that leave provisions are intended for health or personal emergencies, not collective industrial action.
The management, while refuting allegations regarding the lack of basic facilities, has indicated an impasse, stating that the demands—particularly that of being paid for days of protest—are unreasonable. Union leaders, however, have declared their steadfast commitment to continuing the agitation until the department accepts what they term their “rightful and genuine demands.” This ongoing standoff at a critical processing unit underscores the deep-seated tensions between core dairy operations and outsourced labor management in the region.
Source: Get the full report on the labor dispute from Hindustan Times.
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