Private milk tanker lorries operating for Aavin have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday demanding settlement of dues and speedy completion of tender process, among other things.
The strike will affect supply and distribution of 30 lakh litres of milk daily across the State. An emergency meeting was conducted by Aavin milk contract tanker lorry owners in Namakkal on Monday after which the 60-odd owners operating 275 tankers with chiller facility, decided to go on strike.
Subramani, a Namakkal-based owner, said that tankers operating for Aavin would not transport milk from its chilling centres to dairies. Dairies in and around Chennai alone get around 13 lakh litres daily.
Mr. Subramani said the previous milk transportation contract for two years expired in December 2018 after which tenders were floated only recently.
Process postponed
“The last day to participate in the tender was October 10 and 63 tanker lorry owners had participated in it. However, Aavin has postponed the tender process on October 10 and has not finalised them as yet,” he added.
Saravanan, an Erode-based owner, said if the tenders were not finalised soon and if local body elections are notified, the process would be further delayed.
“Already, we have been carrying milk without contracts and have run up dues and cooperative officials are delaying their payment. We cannot operate much longer utilising personal funds. We urge senior officials of Aavin and the State government to consider the issue on an emergency basis and settle dues,” he said.
When contacted, Aavin Managing Director C. Kamaraj said steps would be taken to prevent any strike. “The tender process is under way. We will ensure that the matter is resolved at the earliest and if there are any dues, the amounts would be settled immediately.” He added that in the event of a strike, Aavin, which owned 59 milk tankers, would be used to manage the situation.
