Vijayawada: With the Telugu Desam government expected to abolish the existing liquor policy and scrap the government-run liquor stores in Andhra Pradesh, staff working at these liquor shops have raised apprehensions over their job security.
On Monday, the outsourcing employees under the aegis of AP State Beverages Corporation Outsourcing and Contract Employees Union met Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Uma and submitted a representation urging the government to retain them as outsourcing employees with other departments.
“Approximately 18,000 people have been working as salesmen and supervisors across the 3,600 government liquor outlets for the last five years. Now the future of these employees is at stake as the new government is mulling to bring in a new excise policy and terminate the employees working at the government-run outlets,” said AP State Beverages Corporation Outsourcing and Contract Employees Union president Tatipaka Madhu.
The employees' union president said, “For five years we have diligently worked in the APSBCL liquor outlets. And now the reports of the new government abolishing the old policy and removing is causing great distress to us.”
The union president further said, “Let the TD-led NDA government bring a new liquor policy and scrap the older one. We have no objections. We only urge the government not to render us jobless and throw our families on the road.”
The previous YSRC government which employed these salesmen and supervisors paid Rs 16,500 and Rs 18,500 as monthly salaries after deducting the PF and other benefits respectively.
