TASMAC has authorised district managers in Tamil Nadu to transfer employees who have worked at the same liquor shop for more than three years, introducing a decentralised system for rotating staff across the state-run retail network.
The policy affects supervisors, salespersons and assistant salespersons working in 4,048 TASMAC shops. Together, these outlets employ about 23,000 people, according to a report by Dinamalar. The transfer direction was issued from the company’s headquarters, with district managers now given authority to implement it in their jurisdictions.
A TASMAC official quoted in the report said employees who had completed more than three years at one shop, as of the first day of the relevant month, would be considered for transfer. The official said counselling would be conducted on the basis of seniority before the transfers are completed. The report states that the process is expected to be completed by April 30, although it does not clarify the year attached to that deadline.
The move follows allegations that some employees remain posted at the same outlets for several years with political recommendations. The report also refers to complaints that some staff members do not attend work regularly. TASMAC has not been reported as naming individual employees or specific shops in connection with these allegations.
Under the policy, shops have been divided into three categories based on average daily sales. Outlets recording sales of Rs 10 lakh or more a day are classified as Category A. Shops with daily sales between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh fall under Category B, while outlets recording sales of up to Rs 5 lakh are placed in Category C.
The classification creates an administrative framework for handling transfers across outlets with different sales volumes. It also links staff deployment to the operational scale of each shop, although the report does not provide details on how employees will be matched to vacancies or whether transfers will occur within the same district or across districts.
TASMAC is Tamil Nadu’s state-owned liquor retail corporation and operates one of the country’s largest government-controlled alcohol retail networks. Its shops are a significant part of the state’s retail and revenue administration, making staffing practices relevant not only to employees but also to the management of high-volume public-facing outlets.
The decision to give district managers transfer powers marks a shift from a system in which posting orders were issued by the head office. The reported counselling process, based on seniority, is intended to determine the order in which eligible employees are considered. Further details on appeals, exemptions, replacement staffing and monitoring of attendance were not provided in the report.
The next steps are the identification of employees who have crossed the three-year threshold, the seniority-based counselling process and the subsequent implementation of transfers by the district offices.
