Hyderabad: After an eight-day-long shutdown in the Telugu film industry, cinematography minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Monday met film producers and representatives of film associations at the Secretariat on Monday.
Venkat Reddy said that a committee will be formed to resolve the problems of film workers, which will hold discussions with all parties and take steps to resolve the problems. The minister said film shoots would resume from Wednesday.
He said the government was considering measures to find a permanent solution to the problems in the film industry. He made it clear that strike is not the right way and asked the members of various associations to cooperate with the government in resolving the pending issues.
According to sources, the government and the labour commissioner have held meetings with various representatives. But since the film workers’ minimum wage already exceeds `400 as they charge `1,250 per day, it falls outside the government’s purview. However, negotiations are still on.
Earlier in the day, Dil Raju, a producer and the chairman of the Telangana State Film Development Corporation, was joined by producers Bapineedu, Supriya, and Damodar Prasad to discuss the current crisis in the industry with the minister.
Reiterating that the government is keen on developing Hyderabad as a global film hub, the minister said that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is positive about the goal of providing houses to the poor film workers to improve their living standards.
The minister also said that the government is committed to protecting the brand image of Hyderabad in the film and entertainment sector.
He said that the state has many beautiful places that can be used as the best film shooting locations. He said that this will not only generate income for the local people but also increase employment opportunities.
Speaking on the occasion, FDC chairman Dil Raju said that unity is needed among all groups appealing to everyone to work together to strengthen the government’s actions in making Hyderabad a global film hub in line with the aspirations of the government.
Talks between the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and the Telugu Film Industry Employees Federation remain deadlocked over the Federation’s demand for a 30 per cent hike in daily wages. The producers offered a gradual increase — for workers earning below `2,000 and `1,000 per day — but the Federation rejected the proposal.
Some producers are planning to approach the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to challenge what they call the Federation’s monopoly and to push for allowing new members.
“We have prepared all the documents to move the CCI to New Delhi, and our representatives are already there. Back in 2017, the CCI had questioned the Federation’s monopoly and strict rules preventing non-members from working in films. We will again make the Chamber a party in this case and demand that producers be allowed to hire workers of their choice without any hassles,” said T. Prasanna Kumar, general secretary of the Telugu Film Producer Council.
He criticised the federation’s demand that producers hire 10 local fighters even when importing 10 fighters from Mumbai. “We end up paying local fighters even if they don’t work. Out of the 25,000 workers in the Federation, only about 50 per cent are getting jobs.”
He said the council hoped they will accept the chamber’s proposals for a nine-hour shift and other proposals. The demand for extra pay for dual-language shoots should also be scrapped, since they already earn double wages if working hours are extended,” he concluded.