THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Beverages Corporation has temporarily employed around 400 people on daily wages for 20 days in understaffed shops to avoid congestion at retail outlets during Onam. The wages will be 675 rupees per day for eight hours of work. Funds for this should be arranged from the income of the shops. Although petitions were made to Excise Minister and others that sweepers who have been working in Bevco for decades should also be appointed to such vacancies, they were not considered.

Out of the 25 warehouses currently in operation, temporary appointments are made to shops which are under 20 warehouses in the districts northwards from Ernakulam. The service period is from August 10 to 31. Depending on the sales in the shops and how many of the allotted employees are absent, two or three employees will be hired. Shop managers were responsible for the appointment. Most of the recruits are security personnel who have worked in shops and people who have retired from various services.

Sweepers ignored

At 270 Bevco retail outlets in the state, there are sweepers assigned for cleaning and stacking the paper boxes containing liquor bottles. Their daily wage is Rs 185 for three hours of work in rural areas and Rs 215 in municipal and corporation premises. Anathalavattom Anandan, state president of KSBC Staff Association, has requested the government to consider the demand of the sweeper category workers and grant Rs 3000 as festive bonus during Onam.