Supply of Aavin milk to over five lakh card-holders in the city was affected on Saturday after the crews and cleaners of delivery trucks went on a flash strike late on Friday night, seeking a wage revision.
Many homes received their supply as late as 10 a.m., leading to the families procuring private brands.
Aavin sources said that the strike came to an end by 2 a.m. after officials held talks with the contractors and crew. Supply of milk was delayed by a maximum of two hours to the depots, he said.
M. Vanaja, a resident of Anna Nagar, said strikes by Aavin workers demanding a wage revision had become a frequent occurrence. “In the end it is only customers like us who are affected,” she said.
The State president of Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Welfare Association, S.A. Ponnusamy, said not only residents, but milk dealers and delivery boys too were affected by the delay that had led to households buying private milk brands.
“We had to store a portion of the milk or sell it to retailers,” he said. Mr. Ponnusamy blamed Aavin for not recruiting staff for delivery and instead depending on private truckers.
“When Aavin fails, private brands score. Already, private milk suppliers have better storage and supply machinery,” he pointed out.
Aavin supplies 7.40 lakh litres of milk to 540-odd depots every day through private trucks that take 104 routes. The contract for the supply is tendered once every two years.
