Ration shop employees seek uniform 20% Deepavali bonus, urge CM Vijay to address long-pending demands

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government Ration Shop Employees Union on Tuesday urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to convene a meeting to address the long-pending demands of ration shop employees, including a uniform 20 per cent bonus for Deepavali.

In a representation, the union sought the government’s intervention in resolving issues concerning employee welfare, the functioning of cooperative institutions and the implementation of administrative procedures in the public distribution system.

The union called for a review of procedures relating to the procurement, quality assessment and distribution of essential commodities through ration shops, stressing the need to ensure accountability at every stage and prevent frontline employees from being unfairly held responsible for lapses beyond their control.

It also highlighted concerns over the financial position and functioning of cooperative institutions, seeking measures to strengthen their operations and safeguard employees’ welfare.

A key demand was the payment of a uniform 20 per cent Deepavali bonus to ration shop employees, irrespective of the financial position of individual cooperative institutions.

The union urged the Chief Minister to consider the demands comprehensively and take appropriate measures to improve employees’ service conditions while ensuring the effective functioning of the public distribution system.