Employees of TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) have announced plans to intensify their protest from 17 February, demanding job regularisation, periodic wages and pension benefits, after nearly two weeks of ongoing demonstrations without any government response.
TASMAC workers have been holding continuous sit-in protests since 1 February to press for long-standing demands including permanent employment status, timely wages and retirement benefits. According to union leaders, the staff feel “pushed into taking stronger action” as the state government has not engaged in talks to address their concerns.
Under the planned action, the protesting employees will hand over the keys of liquor shops to management on the night of 16 February and begin an indefinite shutdown of outlets from 17 February, refusing to report for work. The notice of protest has already been served to the TASMAC managing director.
Unions said that about 23,000 TASMAC workers across approximately 4,749 liquor shops in the state are part of the movement. They have also decided to distribute protest stickers in all districts to highlight their demands. Some political leaders have expressed support for the agitation, which could significantly impact shop operations if implemented.