Trichy: Delivery men are demanding up to Rs 50 as ‘tips’ and the delivery is often not on-time - this was one of the main complaint raised by many during the grievance meet for LPG customers and distributors, organised by the district administration at the west taluk office here on Saturday.On the other hand, delivery personnel pointed fingers at distributors for not paying them the prescribed salary.R Ganesh, leader of an gas delivery employee association, admitted that they demand tips, unwillingly paid by consumers, because they are not paid their salary in full.“Most of the distributors do not pay us the prescribed salary. Several delivery boys are paid only Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500 per month,” he alleged, adding that they had to spend money out of their pocket to even fuel or to rent vehicles to supply the cylinders.Delivery men working for the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) all shared a similar point of view.The distributors encourage us to ask for ‘tips’, claimed another delivery personnel. “Whenever we ask for salary, the distributors say that we can earn more than enough only through tips,” the delivery man stated.He also alleged that though some distribution agencies have official records showing only two or three delivery personnel, but in reality they have more and the salary that is split among them.On the other hand, the manager of an IOCL agency dismissed the claims and said that the salary for delivery men was provided as per government norms. “We pay salary for all of them through online transaction. We pay around Rs 7,500 which is as per the rule,” he said. When asked about the ‘tipping’ issue, he said that they advice their employees against asking for tips.This blame-shifting, which has been continuing for a long time, has resulted in discomfort for customers.A Kannabiran, a customer, who was present at the grievance meet, said that on occasions some delivery men in his area would not supply cylinders on time if they were not tipped enough.“Though I do understand the difficulties of delivery personnel, I can’t pay Rs 50 which they charge usually,” he said.Trichy district revenue officer (DRO) A Basheer, who presided over the grievance meet, told TOI that a decision in this matter will be taken later.“We will discuss with the collector and take a decision,” he said.

Stay updated with all the Latest Trichy headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.