HYDERABAD: The Telugu film workers’ strike that began on August 4 came to an end on Thursday, August 21, after negotiations between producers and employees’ unions. The stakeholders also agreed on a wage hike for workers.
The announcement was made at a joint press meet by representatives of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) and the Telugu Film Industry Employees’ Federations (TFIEF), in the presence of Telangana State Film Development Corporation (TFDC) chairman Dil Raju and additional labour commissioner Gangadhar Eslavath.
Sources said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was keen on a resolution, given his vision for the film industry. Back-channel talks were held, and the deadlock was broken following his intervention.
Dil Raju told the media, “CM Revanth Reddy requested us to treat this matter with urgency and provide a quick resolution. He has a strong vision that film shoots of the entire Indian film industry should continue to happen in Hyderabad in a healthy manner. Taking his views into consideration, we take it as our responsibility to develop Hyderabad as a film hub.”
TFCC secretary KL Damodar Prasad added, “We want to thank CM Revanth Reddy for his intervention in this matter. If not for him, one wonders how long the strike would have continued.”
Eslavath explained the terms of settlement. Of the 24 unions, 13 fall under the low-wage category. For them, producers agreed to a 15% hike in the first year, followed by 2.5% and 5% hikes over the next two years, totalling 22.5%. For workers with daily wages between `2,000 and `5,000, the hike will be 7.5% in the first year and 5% each in the next two years.
He said a committee would be constituted to resolve other issues concerning small films within a month. He confirmed that the 1.5 call-sheet system will apply to big films on all Sundays, while for small films, it will be implemented only on the second and fourth Sundays. Both parties also agreed to the producers’ request to hire crew members from outside.
Relief for workers
Of the total 24 unions, 13 fall under low-wage category
Hike for low-wage workers: 15% (Year 1) + 2.5% (Year 2) + 5% (Year 3) = 22.5% total
Workers earning `2K–`5K daily wage: 7.5% (Year 1) + 5% (Year 2) + 5% (Year 3)