Chennai: Liquor Shops Closure Sparks Employee Strike
Liquor shops across Erode, Salem, and other districts were closed on Tuesday due to a strike by employees opposing a new bottle recycling scheme initiated by TASMAC. The State Minister for Prohibition and Excise urged the workers to return to their posts as per the High Court judgment.
Highlights
- •State Minister urges strike-breaking
- •Empty bottle-recycling scheme at heart of controversy
- •TASMAC management to engage external agency
- •Grievances promised to be addressed by June
Chennai: Following the closure of liquor shops across several districts due to an employee strike on Tuesday, State Minister for Prohibition and Excise K Vignesh has urged the striking workers in Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Tiruppur, Krishngiri, and Dharmapuri to return to their posts. The shops did not open as a result of ongoing labor unrest over a new empty bottle recycling scheme.
Complicated Scheme
On Tuesday, Vignesh informed the public that the government plans to appoint an external agency for procuring unused bottles in response to existing employee objections.The State-owned Tamil Nadu Industrial Alcohol Manufacturing and Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) initiated the bottle-return scheme based on instructions from the Madras High Court. However, employees have been resisting the implementation of this scheme which has created a rift between workers and management.
Vignesh assured that the matter would be resolved by filing an affidavit in court to engage external agencies for collecting bottles. He highlighted that returning to work would be honored with the assurance of addressing employee grievances within six months.
