Coimbatore: Members of the Coimbatore District TASMAC Trade Union Joint Committee staged a protest in the city on Friday, demanding alternative employment for over 3,000 workers affected by the closure of 717 outlets across the state.
Background of the Outlet Closures
Following a recent directive by the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam government, 717 shops operating within 500 meters of schools, colleges, religious places, and bus stands were shut down. In Coimbatore district, 69 shops—48 in North and 21 in South zones—were closed, leaving more than 300 workers without livelihoods.
Union's Stance on Staff Absorption
K Senthil Prabu, general secretary of the Tasmac Employees' Union, affiliated with CITU, who participated in the protest, strongly opposed absorbing the displaced staff into the remaining outlets. He explained, "The existing shops already suffer from surplus staff. How many staff can you deploy in a 10/10 shop? A maximum of three itself is excess, but now it is five. Deploying additional personnel would trigger administrative chaos, particularly during daily sales-cash handling." He further added that operational outlets face immense pressure due to an increased workload. "Every government sector has a manpower shortage, including the clerical staff, and our employees can very much fit into the job. The government should consider it."
Petition Submitted to District Collector
Following the protest, the representatives submitted a petition to the district collector with a three-point demand to be presented to the Tamil Nadu government and TASMAC administration. The petition demanded that displaced staff with 22 years of continuous service must receive permanent placement in vacant positions across other state government departments. Additionally, the government should immediately shut down private FL 2 entertainment establishments operating within the same 500-meter restricted limit.
The protest highlights the growing concern over job losses and the need for the government to provide alternative employment opportunities for the affected workers. The union remains firm in its stance that absorbing workers into already crowded outlets is not a viable solution.
