Members of Tamil Nadu Medical and Sales Representatives Association (TNMSRA) staged a demonstration at Chinthamani in the city on Tuesday to press their 18-point charter of demands. They also resorted to a day’s strike on Tuesday.
They demanded that the State enforce the Sales Promotion Employees Act and notify eight-hour work schedule for medical representatives. The minimum salary for sales promotion representatives should be fixed at Rs.10,000 a month. The violators of the Act should be brought to book and this Act should be extended to 30 more industries. Women employees should be given six-month maternity leave. They demanded that an industrial tripartite committee for sales promotion employees be formed with Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Associations of India as one of the constituents as per the decision arrived at the tripartite meeting held on Nov 12, 2010. The government should ensure availability of all life-saving drugs. Rules should be introduced to check irregularities in pharmaceutical industry. Multinational companies should be prevented from taking over Indian firms while public sector vaccine and drug producing units must be revived .
