Chennai,  AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam (OPS) has urged the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to invite the striking ration shop workers for talks.

The Tamil Nadu Government Ration Shop Employees Association commenced a four-day strike on Tuesday.

In a statement on Thursday, the senior AIADMK leader said that condiments low in quality were not getting sold in ration shops and that workers in these shops were being forced to buy them and that a sum of Rs 1,500 was being debited from their salaries.

Panneerselvam in the statement said, "Activities like these have been going on for the past six months. I had issued a statement opposing this in January this year but the media reports that are coming out now make it clear that no action has been taken by this government in this matter."

He said that this was like adding insult to injury as their dearness allowances have not been increased. Even though the ration shop workers have been raising their demands for raising their dearness allowances like state government employees and teachers since January this year, the government has turned a blind eye to this.

The former Chief Minister said that instead of inviting the protesting staff for talks, the government was indulging in anti- labour practices by holding back their salaries on days they did not report for work. He said that the AIADMK would support the reasonable demands of the ration shop workers.

He said, "A good government would be one which would stop forcing them to buy condiments from ration shops and invite them for talks to iron out the issues that have cropped up."

The Deputy Leader of Opposition said that if the government attempts to crush the strike it will not be acceptable and is condemnable.