The Madras High Court on Monday stayed the operation of a circular issued by Managing Director of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) on August 3 categorising the liquor shops run by it into A, B and C categories for transferring staff from one category of shop to another.
Justice Satrughana Pujahari granted the interim stay on a writ petition filed by R. Gunasekaran, supervisor of a State-run liquor shop in Ariyalur district. The petitioner had contended that frequent transfers from one place to another would cause great hardship to the employees engaged on consolidated pay and made to work 10 hours a day.
The petitioner’s counsel K. Balu brought it to the notice of the court that liquor shop employees work continuously from noon to 10 p.m. every day and still paid a paltry ₹9,500 a month. Hence posting them in locations far away from their residence would cause financial as well as physical stress on the employees, he alleged.
