Tamil Nadu Government Announces 25 Percent Wage Hike For TASMAC Employees
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced a 25 percent wage hike for TASMAC employees in Chennai and across the state, coupled with a strict warning of dismissal for workers found selling liquor above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).
State Minister for Prohibition and Excise K Vignesh announced the salary hike to the media, stating that the decision was sanctioned by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. The wage hike comes as an effort to quell a brewing rebellion among employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), which buys and sells liquor in the state.
The unrest began after the TVK government took charge and tightened enforcement to prevent the overcharging of customers and illegal sales. Specifically, the administration put an end to the illegal sale of liquor outside official business hours—which run from 12 noon to 10 pm—and stopped the practice of overcharging customers by Rs 10 per bottle.
Because these strict government measures impacted the unofficial earnings of TASMAC employees, workers placed a formal demand for an increase in their official salaries. In response, Chief Minister Vijay considered their demands and ordered the 25 percent percentage-based hike.
Minister Vignesh noted that previous wage increases for TASMAC employees were flat-rate hikes, amounting to Rs 500, Rs 750, or Rs 2,000. The new percentage-based system will result in a more substantial increase across various job roles.
Under the newly approved pay structure, the monthly salary of assistant salespeople will rise from Rs 14,340 to Rs 17,925. Salespeople will see their monthly wages increase from Rs 15,530 to Rs 19,413. For supervisors, monthly salaries will go up from Rs 17,850 to Rs 22,313.
This wage hike is expected to result in an additional expenditure of Rs 110.74 crore for the state government. This brings the total annual wage expenditure for TASMAC employees to Rs 553.72 crore.
Despite the salary increase, Minister Vignesh warned that the government would take strict action against any future malpractices. Employees found selling liquor above the MRP will face immediate dismissal from service.
