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S. Vijayabaskar has spent 23 years down a TASMAC antagonistic successful Pudukkottai. He has absorbed the mean indignities of the commercialized — the abusive drunk, the 10-hour shift, an concern cipher mentions astatine a wedding. But thing successful 2 decades prepared him for the question his Class 8 lad asked recently, aft a fortnight of watching television: could his begetter discontinue and thrust an auto-rickshaw instead?
The lad had seen the media coverage: the FIRs, the societal media vigilantes filming done store windows, and the caller Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) authorities moving against TASMAC employees for charging ₹10 supra the maximum retail terms (MRP). He had imbibed however these men were being spoken about.
“They are showing america arsenic though we are the ones looting the money,” Mr. Vijayabaskar told The Hindu. A commercialized national subordinate successful the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK) Labour Liberation Front (LLF) of 2 decades’ standing, helium was practised successful articulating grievance. But erstwhile his lad asked the question, helium said, helium could not springiness a consecutive answer.
The ₹10 overcharge
During a run successful 2025, TVK person C. Joseph Vijay — present Chief Minister — sang an impromptu fig astatine a Karur rally: “Bottle ku 10 ruba.” The enactment went viral and the ₹10 overcharge had entered the lexicon. Now, his authorities is acting connected the slogan.
Customers spot small origin to object. R. Anand, a regular astatine a Tiruchi outlet, pays astatine slightest ₹20 supra the MRP per acquisition — ₹10 arsenic a vessel buy-back deposit and a further ₹10 successful what helium calls, plainly, commission. K. Prabhu, who drinks 3 beers a sitting astatine a Pudukkottai shop, calculates that it costs him ₹60 other each visit. “It is thing but loot,” helium said. Last week successful Mayiladuthurai, FIRs were registered against employees astatine 3 abstracted outlets. A half-day bandh followed, dissolving lone aft a bid gathering astatine the collectorate.
Mr. Vijayabaskar does not quality the overcharging. “Customers person each close to inquire for the MRP,” helium said. “But the irregularities successful TASMAC shops person made it impossible.”
The irregularities, helium describes, are not aberrations. They are the operating model.
Structural issue
TASMAC reimburses shops up to ₹9,000 monthly successful energy costs. In summer, bills routinely ascent ₹4,000 supra that ceiling. The excess falls connected the employees. The section pays landlords ₹11,000 to ₹12,000 a period for metropolis outlets; marketplace rents successful astir locations tally to ₹30,000. The spread is settled done unofficial revenue. Each week, caller banal arrives 4 times. Unloading costs astir ₹5 per box, 250 boxes per consignment — ₹1,250 per delivery, unreimbursed. Breakage during unloading besides falls connected the employee. Cleaning unit are not provided; shops prosecute locally and wage privately. The buy-back scheme, introduced successful 2025 to promote vessel returns, requires further unit that TASMAC has not sanctioned — paid ₹800 to ₹1,500 a period retired of workers’ pockets.
R. Arul, a supervisor successful Perambalur, said the unloading arithmetic was identical astatine his outlet. “Not a rupee is reimbursed. You sorb it oregon you retrieve it somewhere.” Bala K., a salesman successful Nagapattinam, added that damaged bottles during transportation — an inevitability, not an objection — besides fell wholly connected the employee.
Mr. Vijayabaskar claims to person spent ₹30,000 of his ain wealth connected a freezer box. TASMAC’s had breached years earlier and was ne'er repaired. And helium is not alone.
P. Jeevanantham, a 23-year salesman and territory national caput with AITUC, described the punishment operation with hardly concealed disbelief. Under TASMAC’s ain departmental guidelines, an worker who charges betwixt ₹1 and ₹9 supra MRP faces a ₹9,000 good — a fiscal punishment. Charge ₹10 oregon more, the effect is simply a transportation to different shop. “Effectively,” helium said, “almost nary punishment.”
No country for welfare
Mr. Jeevanantham listed what agelong work leaves down — varicose veins, haemorrhoids, alcohol-related complications — nary covered nether immoderate departmental payment provision. Men connected ten-hour shifts, six days a week, 8 days of yearly leave, helium said.
N. Periyasamy, erstwhile MLA and State president of the Tamil Nadu TASMAC Employees Union, said the ₹10 complaint has existed since November 2003 — crossed each authorities since. “It is corruption,” helium said. “But the operation of TASMAC created it.” He offered a comparison: a TNSTC autobus conductor collects fares but does not bargain diesel oregon hole the engine. TASMAC employees acquisition their ain padlocks, prosecute their ain cleaners, sorb their ain losses — successful a section that has revised wage 15 times without addressing a azygous 1 of these informalities.
The wages archer their ain story. A supervisor takes location ₹14,740; a salesman, ₹12,476 — against unofficial outgoings moving to thousands monthly. In 2003, TASMAC had 34,000 employees and ₹3,000 crore successful sales. Today: 25,000 staff, ₹50,000 crore successful revenues — a workforce chopped by a quarter, turnover up 17-fold, and each idiosyncratic inactive connected declaration aft 2 decades.
A elder State-level TASMAC official, speaking without attribution, said the section had briefed the caller authorities comprehensively and expected reforms to follow. “The section has nary program to demoralise its moving staff,” helium said. “They are our halfway assets.”
