JERUSALEM — Workers from the Tnuva dairy company in Israel have halted the distribution of cottage cheese to stores as part of a labor dispute, reminicent of last summers boycotts over economic inequality.

The workers chose cottage cheese because it became a symbol of consumer revolt and frustration with the high cost of living in Israel during mass demonstrations and boycotts last summer, Tnuva workers committee chairman Ahiav Simhi told the Israeli business daily Globes on Sunday, the first day of the workers’ protest.

Workers have called for a pay raise and a new retirement deal. The Histadrut, the General Federation of Labor in Israel, last month gave Tnuva workers permission to declare a labor dispute with the company and open a strike, after negotiations between management and employees on a new labor agreement came to a halt.

Cottage cheese, a staple in Israeli diets, has seen a steady increase in price in recent years. Cottage cheese shortages are expected in markets throughout the country.