Facing fleecing charges, Tasmac salesmen ask: What about errant managers?

CHENNAI: It seems Tasmac staff cannot catch a break. Despite raking in the moolah and filling the State government’s coffers with revenue that seems to be on an upwards trajectory, liquor salesmen have been at the receiving end of customer ire lately.

After a series of complaints with regard to several irregularities including Maximum Retail Price (MRP) violations, the high level authorities at Tasmac showed no mercy against the offenders, who were immediately punished in the recent times.

The State-owned Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has been the monopoly agency in selling liquor in the State for more than 30 years.

Though MRP violations were reported widely on several social media platforms and in other ways, the offence continued unabated in almost all liquor shops across the State. However, after the consumer outcry, authorities have started taking severe action against salespersons who indulge in MRP violation and selling liquor illegally to bars attached to liquor shops.

“During the last one month, more than 50 salesmen have been suspended for selling liquor above the MRP price,” a senior official from Tasmac said. “During the same period, at least 25 supervisors were given transfer orders after they were found selling liquor illegally to the bar attached to the shops.”

A supervisor at a liquor shop in the city alleged that higher officials and field staff of Tasmac insist on selling liquor higher than MRP price. “This was followed even for online payments, including G-pay, debit and credit cards. In the city, most transactions are done through G-pay, and the money is deposited into the Tasmac bank account. What happened to the extra money collected? It’s not coming to our pocket,” he lamented.

However, sources within Tasmac, requesting anonymity, noted there was no accounting on the basis of cash-per-bottle in Tasmac. Each day, the total income generated through sales in each shop is accounted for. Though a good number of customers make digital payments, there are always people who make cash payments, from which Tasmac employees take their cut on the extra money (higher than MRP) collected through all purchases. They said it is believed that the money collected through charging more than the MRP is shared among liquor shop staff, managers at different levels in the Tasmac management and politicians.

D Dhanasekar, general secretary, AITUC-backed TN Tasmac Employees Association, claimed higher officials in the Tasmac administration were making scapegoats out of salesmen. “Those in the manager cadre, who forcibly take money from liquor shops, were given regular salary increments of Rs 2,500,” he alleged.

AD Balusamy, president, State Tasmac Workers Association, concurred, and added: “Salesmen in liquor shops are victimised by cops over illegal sale in black markets. It’s not salesmen alone who are selling liquor over MRP prices. Bulk sales to consumers are also billed prices over and above MRP. Moreover, Tasmac has to release a circular on how much liquor should be sold to a single consumer. As of now no such rule exists.”

Tasmac has initiated end-to-end computerisation – a solution that envisages a track-and-trace system for monitoring each liquor bottle produced, packing cartons sent to depots, allocation to retail vending shops and sale effected in shops. The stock position and sales details can be tracked at the corporate office in real time.

Tasmac has also developed an ‘Inspection App’ for facilitating inspection of liquor by officers across the State. The new app is GIS-based with all the outlets geo-tagged and designed to capture all the important details during inspection, like shop personnel attendance, stock availability, more than 90-day stock, display of price list, functioning of CCTV camera and maintenance of various registers.

Officials also took action to install CCTV cameras with night vision in 1,000 liquor shops at a cost of Rs 16 crore.

As on March 2024, there were 6,581 supervisors, 14,775 salesmen and 2,630 assistant salesmen (23,986 in total) employed in the liquor shops across the State, stated the official.

“As ordered by the government, Tasmac pays bonus and ex-gratia each year to retail shop personnel, apart from monthly consolidated pay. They are also covered under the employees’ PF scheme, employees’ deposit-linked-insurance scheme, gratuity, and family benefit fund scheme. They are provided an annual additional fixed incentive and medical assistance,” he elaborated.

Apart from all these benefits, the State government also increases the salaries of sales staff every year, he noted.

Overworked & underpaid

Noting that the state government has announced that it would cut back on the number of Tasmac outlets over a period of time, M Radhakrishnan, co-ordinator of Arappor Iyakkam, said more than 1,000 Tasmac liquor outlets have been closed down over the past few years, and about 3,000 supervisors and salesmen have been rendered jobless. The government has had to place them on temporary jobs, albeit on a lower salary.

"Now, if they shut more outlets, more salesmen will go out of job, and it won’t be possible for the government to always place them on temporary posts. Besides, it gravely affects the livelihood of workers. Hence, the state should consider placing them in other government jobs," said Radhakrishnan.

Radhakrishnan observed, "There are irregularities in Tasmac, like MRP violations, but one should also take into account that the staff work more than eight hours. Their demands for permanent job contracts and salary as per government pay scale, etc., are genuine and should be considered.”

Responding to staff demand, an administrative official said that every salesman who signs the contract agrees with the salary structure and other benefits offered by the state government. "But after joining duty, they are brain-washed by senior salesmen,” he said, adding "a Tasmac salesman post cannot be considered on par with other government posts, as every post has specific recruitment processes.”

The official further noted that the posts and salaries of state government staff are fixed on the basis of their qualifications. “However, other demands, such as ESI medical scheme, shift system and post retirement security can be considered,” he added.

Demands of Tasmac staff

*Permanent job contract on par with government staff

*Pay parity with government staff

*ESI medical coverage

*Increase retirement age to 60

*Rs 10 lakh post-retirement benefit

*Shift-based work schedule