CHENNAI: Short staffing, crowded counters and the absence of queue systems are likely to pose major challenges to the state government's recent push to tighten enforcement against liquor sales to those below 21 years of age. Questions have also emerged over the future deployment of employees in the 717 shops slated for closure.
Tasmac employees and unions note that many high-footfall shops are not equipped for practical age verification. "People think customers come one by one. In reality, ten hands stretch out at once, asking for different brands while money is constantly being exchanged. We are already short-staffed. If we start stopping everyone for verification, the crowd outside will swell exponentially," a Tasmac employee said.
Union representatives say the problem is rooted in Tasmac's long-pending manpower imbalance. According to CITU's TASMAC Employees Union general secretary Thiruchelvan, staffing structures fixed when the state took over liquor retail operations in 2003 were not implemented and are currently not in line with present-day sales and footfall.
Under the structure, Corporation-area shops comprise one supervisor and four salesmen, municipality shops need four staff, while panchayat-level shops need three. Unions highlight that several low-sales shops continue to have excess staff while high-revenue outlets function with minimal manpower.
"Instead of eight people, only four will be posted in some high-sales shops because if more staff come in, the unofficial collections have to be shared with more people," he alleged.
Meanwhile, Tasmac employees also note that there is not enough space in many outlets to accommodate staff. "There is barely enough space for 2 people to stand inside," an employee noted.
Instead of eight people, only four will be posted in some high-sales shops because if more staff come in, the unofficial collections have to be shared with more people- Thiruchelvan, CITU-affiliated TASMAC Employees Union general secretary
Employee unions say proper enforcement would require structural changes inside shops, including barricaded queues, separate billing and delivery counters and regulated customer flow.
"What we repeatedly asked for was a queue system similar to what existed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without that, staff could not properly see customers' faces or verify age proof in crowded shops," Thiruchelvan said.
The latest closures have meanwhile revived concerns over employee redeployment. Unions estimate over 3,000 workers could become surplus after the closure of 717 outlets.
The issue traces back to the 2017 closure of liquor shops along national highways following Supreme Court orders, when around 3,300 shops were shut, and nearly 12,000 employees became surplus. Though a manpower redistribution exercise based on sales volume was reportedly drafted in 2018, union representatives say it was never fully implemented.
Unions demand primary focus on reorganising retail operations and deployment of surplus workers in vacancies of other government departments instead of being repeatedly shifted between liquor outlets.