KOCHI: Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) general secretary B Unnikrishnan has said that a few members of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) have approached him to form a trade union.
“A few members of AMMA have expressed their wish to form a trade union under FEFKA, retaining the nature of their parent organisation. The decision can be made only after discussing it in the general council,” he told reporters in Kochi.
The move comes following the resignation of the AMMA executive committee, including president Mohanlal, after the release of the Hema Committee report.
Responding to the move, Jayan Cherthala, a member of the ad hoc committee, said that the association does not have a plan to constitute a trade union. “The association was formed and registered as a charitable organisation and will continue to function as the same. There is no such plan to create a trade union. The members of the executive committee are unaware of the move,” he told TNIE, adding that AMMA expects FEFKA to reveal the names of the twenty people who approached the federation. “The annual general body meeting was held only two months ago. No one among the 506 members raised a demand to constitute a trade union. I expect him to name the twenty members who approached FEFKA,” added Jayan.
Responding to the findings of the Hema Committee report, Unnikrishnan said that an action plan prepared by the federation will be submitted to the state government and the department of cultural affairs to be implemented within three months. “We have prepared a 26-point action plan. It includes creating an agreement for every crew member, ensuring an effective internal complaint cell at shooting sets, constituting a women-only panel to address the complaints, suspending crew members who are facing allegations from the industry for a year, bringing a standardised menu, etc,” said Unnikrishnan, adding that the federation and the Kerala Film Producers Association are holding discussions as to how the recommendations can be implemented.
The federation also criticised the methodology of the committee, citing that the 21 trade unions under FEFKA were not informed about the committee hearings. “FEFKA is a trade union for the welfare of the people in the industry. However, the officials of these unions under FEFKA were not invited to speak,” said Unnikrishnan.
The top officials of FEFKA also appreciated the Women in Cinema Collective for the change it has brought to society. “Women are speaking up. It is a result of the efforts of WCC that the committee, report, studies, and debates are happening in Mollywood. It can happen only in the Malayalam film industry,” added Unnikrishnan.