Punjab Milkfed workers protest over CTC rules, threaten hunger strike

Damini Sharma and Ishita Bandhu

North News

Chandigarh, January 11

Employees of the Milkfeed and Milk Plant Workers Union Punjab are continuing their protest at the Milk Plant in Mohali, despite the harsh winter weather. The protest, now in its fifth day, is driven by frustration over the Punjab government’s alleged indifference to their demands. Satwant Singh, the President of the Employees’ Union, highlighted that the situation has worsened, with 600 of the 850 recruited employees had already left due to dissatisfaction with the existing CTC rules.

On January 10, union representatives met with the Finance Commissioner, who acknowledged that the CTC rules were not favorable to Milkfed or its employees. The Commissioner promised that efforts would be made to withdraw Milkfed employees from the FD department by Monday, he added.

Union Secretary Balkarnvir Singh warned that if the CTC rules were not repealed by Monday, employees would escalate their protest with a hunger strike. Singh also criticized the delay in approving the 2023 pay scale-based service rule, which is modeled after the Punjab government’s policies. He indicated that the unresolved issue could further intensify the workers’ struggle.