Tamil Nadu’s TASMAC Plans to Regularise 23,000 Contract Workers

Chennai: State-owned TASMAC, which has a monopoly on liquor sales in Tamil Nadu, has offered to regularize the services of over 23,000 contract workers working at retail outlets with a salary hike. According to the Home Prohibition and Excise Department’s policy note 2025-2026, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) has 38 regional offices, 43 Indian-made foreign liquor stores, 4,787 retail outlets and 2,362 bars affiliated with retail outlets.

TASMAC sources said a comprehensive proposal for a structural renovation has been put before the board. Proposed reforms include a significant salary increase and extending the retirement age to 60.

“If approved, the reforms will help agency workers realize their decades-old demands and realize their dream of streamlining their services. They were hired as contract staff when the government took over retail liquor sales in 2003,” a senior official of TASMAC said. he said.

Contract workers are currently making do with what they consider “inadequate wages”; store supervisors receive a consolidated salary of Rs 17,800 per month, salesmen receive Rs 15,300 per month and sales assistants receive Rs 14,300 per month.

However, the new salary structure for TASMAC liquor store employees will be finalized only after the board of directors approves the proposal.

Welcoming the move, TN Tasmac Employees Union General Secretary D Dhanasekaran said, “In the past, we have made various demands to the government to increase staff salaries and regulate our services at par with state government employees. The new proposal will bring huge relief to the staff.”