TASMAC staff refuse to wear mandatory uniforms, fear they'll be targets for robbery and social stigma

CHENNAI: Employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) have opposed the State government's decision to introduce uniforms for staff at liquor outlets, saying the dress code could expose them to social stigma and increase their risk of robbery.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, a total of 22,877 employees work at 4,048 TASMAC outlets across Tamil Nadu. The government recently announced that uniforms would be provided to all employees.

According to the prescribed dress code, supervisors must wear light blue shirts with navy blue trousers, while salespersons must wear light brown shirts with dark grey trousers. TASMAC management has said that Rs 6,000 each has been credited to the employees' bank accounts to purchase three sets of uniforms. Employees have also been instructed to buy the fabric from Co-optex.

However, employees say the fabric has not yet been made available and have declared that they will not wear the prescribed uniforms.

They argue that the dress code would identify them as liquor shop workers in public, potentially affecting their social standing. They have also expressed concern that wearing uniforms while depositing daily cash collections at banks could make them easy targets for robbers, who would be able to identify them as TASMAC employees.

Despite the opposition, TASMAC management has warned that wearing uniforms will be mandatory from November 15. Employees who fail to comply will face disciplinary action, and the amount credited for purchasing the uniforms will be recovered, the management has cautioned.