The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited transferred 450 employees on Wednesday for taking part in a protest announced by the TASMAC employees’ union. The TASMAC employees took part in the protest on August 25 by closing their shops for two hours between 10am and 12pm. The association has 14 demands- including health insurance for COVID-19 and compulsory COVID-19 tests for staff.
The Senior Regional Managers of TASMAC on Wednesday issued the transfer order citing that the decision was taken for TASMAC's welfare. The employees were transferred to different places in Chennai and outside Chennai.
Speaking on the order, Dhanasekaran, general secretary of Tamil Nadu TASMAC Employees Union said, “TASMAC has transferred the staff as a tit for tat move so that we cannot conduct protests again. However, we are going to meet the MD of TASMAC on Friday to hold talks. If the talks do not help to reach a conclusion then we will decide on the next course of action.”
The demands by the association include making TASMAC staff permanent employees. They are also demanding salary and incentives for the workers based on a fixed slab like the BEVCO Corporation run by the Kerala government. All the employees of TASMAC should be tested for coronavirus and the organization should bear the expense for treatment of the employee and his family if they test positive while on duty demands the association.
The workers also urged TASMAC to change the store timings and want stores to function between 10 am to 5 pm. They have also demanded that TASMAC should provide hand gloves and masks at regular intervals. Three TASMAC employees who succumbed to coronavirus should be included in the assistance announced for doctors and must be provided Rs 50 lakh compensation, they have asked.
On August 21, TASMAC Managing Director, R. Kirlosh Kumar issued a circular as soon as the employees announced the protest. In the circular, he informed the managers to monitor the functioning of staff and told the staff to sign the register by 10 am. The circular also said that the details about the employees taking part in the protest should be sent to the head office by 11 am on August 25.
Based on the details sent to the TASMAC office, the Senior Regional Managers of TASMAC issued the order copy transffering employees who participated in the protest.