Chennai, Oct 13 — Ration shop employees in Tamil Nadu have announced a statewide strike on October 14, demanding the withdrawal of the suspension of a salesperson following complaints about poor-quality onions sold at a shop in Maduravoyal.
The Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Employees Association said workers would close shops from 9 am and assemble outside the offices of the respective district liaison officials to press their demand.
The dispute comes amid the state government’s initiative to sell onions at subsidised prices through cooperative ration shops to curb rising prices in the open market. Onions are being sold at Rs 35 a kg under the initiative.
Following a complaint that substandard onions were sold at the Maduravoyal outlet, the joint registrar overseeing the Kancheepuram District Consumer Cooperative Wholesale Stores ordered the suspension of the salesperson.
In a statement, association general secretary Dinesh Kumar and president Rajendran described the action as unfair, alleging that the employee had been punished without establishing who was responsible for procuring and supplying the poor-quality onions.
The association said its representatives had met the Cooperation Minister and sought intervention. Although the minister assured them that appropriate action would be taken, the suspension order had not been withdrawn, it said.
The union questioned the role of monitoring teams and inspection officials tasked with checking onion quality. It said arrangements had been made for a monitoring team for every five shops and asked whether officials had inspected supplies and submitted reports certifying their quality.
It also sought answers on who supplied the substandard onions, who fixed the procurement and selling prices, and whether action had been taken against those responsible for the supplies.
The association argued that an employee directed to sort or grade onions should not be held solely responsible for their quality. It demanded an inquiry into the circumstances before any punishment was imposed.
Calling for solidarity, the union urged its office-bearers to inform employees about the protest and ensure participation. It also appealed to affiliated organisations, including office employees, women’s groups, self-help groups, retired employees and employees with disabilities, to support the agitation.
The association said departmental officials had been informed about the protest by email. It maintained that the suspension affected the employee’s livelihood and warned that similar action could be taken against other workers unless the issue was addressed.