By IANS,
Chennai: AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa Monday expressed her support to the contract employees of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) manning the liquor retail shops and urged the Karunanidhi government to hold talks with them on their demands.
“Ever since Tasmac started retail trade in 2003, around 30,000 persons are working in various categories like supervisors, sales persons and assistants,” she said, adding they earn nearly 25 percent of the state’s revenue but “suffer a lot”.
“Even after seven years of service, their employment has not been confirmed and no labour laws are applicable to them,” she said, according to a statement here.
She accused the government of not being interested in acceding to their demands of job permanency, eight-hour work, payment of incentives and others or in having a dialogue with the employee unions.
“When the worker unions have announced to go on one day strike on Aug 11, the chief minister (M. Karunanidhi) instead of inviting them for talks threatened imposition of prohibition in the state showing his anti-labour feelings,” Jayalalithaa remarked.
The government is threatening the employees and getting an undertaking from them that they would not strike and attempts are being made to employ others, she alleged.