CHENNAI: Hundreds of Tasmac employees on Tuesday launched a wait-in protest in Chennai after talks with Prohibition and Excise Minister S Muthusamy ended without a resolution. The protesters assembled in front of Tasmac managing director’s office, pressing for long-pending demands, including the appointment of additional staff to handle the bottle buy-back scheme.
After holding talks with representatives of 27 employees’ associations, the minister told TNIE that employees had raised around 25 demands, including wage revision and the appointment of more staff. “We are examining their demands. We also need to hold discussions with the finance department for fund approval. Hence, we have asked the employees to wait for three days for a final decision and advised them to withdraw the protest,” the minister said.
However, the employees said they would continue their agitation. Speaking to TNIE, T Dhannasekaran, general secretary of the AITUC-affiliated Tasmac Employees Association, said the protest would go on until their demands are met. The bottle buy-back scheme had been introduced in 15 districts without appointing additional staff. Existing workers are forced to take up extra work and face difficulties especially during peak hours, he said.
K Thiruselvan, general secretary of the CITU-affiliated Tasmac Workers’ State Federation, said many employees had not been regularised despite years of service. Referring to the Tamil Nadu Industrial Establishments (Conferment of Permanent Status to Workmen) Act, 1981, he said a worker becomes eligible for permanent status after completing 480 days of continuous service within 24 months.
He pointed out even the labour department had issued orders directing the regularisation of these employees. “Despite this, the orders have not been implemented so far. The minister asked us to come for another round of talks within three days,” he said.
He warned, “If the government does not accept our demands, the Joint Action Committee, comprising eight employees’ associations, will go on indefinite strike”.