The employees of the Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMFL) ended their indefinite strike today in Thiruvananthapuram, which brought relief to the dairy farmers of the State. The strike was organised by the trade unions, demanding necessary benefits such as such as pension and welfare fund for the employees.
The indefinite strike has had a deep impact on the dairy industry in Kerala as Milma, the major cooperative dairy company, handles a significant portion of milk procurement and distribution across Kerala. In the meantime, dairy farmers in Kozhikode and Palakkad districts had no option but to dispose of large amounts of milk as Milma declined to purchase the same.
The government had been requesting the employees to end the strike, as it would harm the dairy industry of the State.
The State government has pledged to address the long-standing demands of the workers. After a discussion between the representatives of the employees and the labour commissioner, the strike was called off in the evening on 9 May, 2023.
Although the strike has been called off for now, the employees have stated that they would not shy away from resuming the strike if a permanent solution is not arrived at during further discussions on 16 December 2023. If their demands are not met by then, they will have no choice but to go on strike yet again.
