Cheese factory FrieslandCampina in Marum has come to a standstill due to strike

FrieslandCampina’s dairy factory in Marum will be shut down on Monday due to a strike.

About 40 percent of the staff are on strike and as a result, no milk can be processed until Tuesday at 6 a.m., a spokesman for the company said. The factory is the only one in FrieslandCampina where Edam cheese is made and is the largest production location of this type of cheese in the world.

According to FrieslandCampina, deliveries to customers are not endangered by the strike. A spokesperson says that ‘unfortunately, the actions cause (economic) damage to the company’.

The CNV trade union could not yet say how many members had joined the strike. Around 2 p.m., the union started counting the strikers. FNV is also participating in the work stoppage, which started at 06:00 on Monday.

CNV announced the strike in the dairy industry on Wednesday, after employers failed to respond to the ultimatum set by the unions. The 24-hour work stoppage at FrieslandCampina is the first. According to CNV, approximately 12,000 people work in the Dutch dairy industry, divided over thirteen employers. In addition to FrieslandCampina, they work for companies such as Arla Foods and Royal A-ware, among others.

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