CHENNAI/COIMBATORE: After two days of protest over the revised empty-bottle return mechanism, Tasmac employees returned to work on Tuesday, with 3,991 of the state’s 4,051 retail outlets opening for business. Tasmac, meanwhile, has come down hard on those behind the closure of the outlets, and issued show-cause notices to 1,729 employees and suspended 245 supervisors across TN.
Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, Excise Minister K Vignesh said the show-cause notices were issued to employees, seeking explanations for participating in the strike.
In the Coimbatore region, 36 supervisors were issued show-cause notices, while the corresponding figures for Madurai and Tiruchy regions are 475 and 418, respectively. No supervisor from these three regions had been suspended as of Tuesday.
At several outlets across the state, long queues were seen. In Chennai, delays in serving liquor led to heated arguments between salesmen and customers. Police personnel were deployed outside outlets in the city to prevent untoward incidents.
An official said employees from outlets with additional staff would be deputed to shops where supervisors had been placed under suspension to ensure uninterrupted operation.
