CHENNAI: Facing mounting pressure from ration shop employees and the threat of a state-wide indefinite strike, the Tamil Nadu government has constituted a high-level committee to review and recommend a revised pay structure for workers employed in fair price shops run by cooperative societies across the State.
As per a Government Order issued by the Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection department, the 10-member committee will be headed by Additional Registrar of Cooperative Societies M Veerappan.
Senior officials, including representatives from the Finance department, the Cooperation department and regional registrars, have been appointed as members, underscoring the administrative and financial significance of the exercise.
The committee has been tasked with examining representations from ration shop employees' associations and trade unions and submitting detailed recommendations on revised pay scales for salespersons and packers working in cooperative-run fair price shops.
Its mandate includes proposals on basic pay, dearness allowance, medical allowance and other admissible benefits, besides granting selection grade and special grade pay revisions.
The panel has also been directed to ensure that the proposed revision does not result in pay anomalies. Further, it must assess the additional financial burden arising from the revised wages and evaluate the capacity of cooperative institutions to absorb the increased expenditure without affecting their financial health.
Welcoming the government's move, Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Employees' Association general secretary Dinesh Kumar said the decision came after sustained agitation by workers.
"We had announced a State-wide indefinite strike from January 5, 2026, demanding a salary hike. We are already working while wearing black badges, " he said.
He pointed out that the Madras High Court had earlier directed the government to constitute such a committee. "Despite the court's direction, the panel was not formed, forcing us to announce the strike. Now, the government has finally constituted the committee and we are hopeful of a positive outcome, " he said.
However, Dinesh Kumar cautioned that the agitation would be revived if the recommendations were not implemented. "If the government fails to grant the salary hike after this exercise, we will proceed with the indefinite strike," he added.