The shooting of films starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and several television serials may get affected from today — August 15. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees has called for a strike as their demand for increment has not been honoured by the producers.
Members of the FWICE will be assembling outside Film City and other studios today. BM
Tiwari, president of the FWICE, says it is a do or die situation this time for them, “We have been exploited by the producers and will not allow it to happen anymore.” Tiwari also claims that other workers’ association affiliated to political parties are supporting their strike.
However, The producers’ bodies call this strike illegal. Mukesh Bhatt says, “The producers will be seeking police protection and continue to shoot. Besides, the issue is with the TV producers who have their sets, film producers will go and shoot outside of Mumbai.’’
The Film and Television Producers Guild of India had filed a suit against FWICE and its allied associations against their call for a strike in the Bombay High Court. They have got an interim order from the High Court of Bombay that FWICE and its members should not physically stop any member or non-member voluntarily willing to work with the Producers. The members of FWICE have also directed not to indulge in causing a commotion or violence or agitation near the shooting sites.
Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India states, “We are pleased with this very fair verdict. It is unfortunate, but unavoidable, that we have had to exercise our legal options to ensure the safety and security of those film and television workers who are gladly willing to continue working, despite the arbitrary strike call given by the FWICE. We believe that there should be complete freedom between producers and workers to decide on commercial terms which work best for both sides. We, as industry bodies, should rather focus our energies on facilitating healthy and safe working conditions for all those employed on production units, rather than on imposing arbitrary decisions which hamper the well being of the industry and ultimately impact the very workers that we are supposed to protect.”
However, General Secretary of FWICE, Dilip Pithwa, says, “This time the court order is more in our favour. The last time, we were not allowed inside Film City, but this time we can enter the studio and can stand outside the set and convince our members for non-cooperation. We are fighting this battle for them. Producers are blackmailing workers and asking them to sign papers stating that they are happy with 7.5 per cent increment given to them. Here, we are fighting to get 11 per cent hike which was committed to us by the producers in 2015.’’
TV producers are going to take precautions. A senior TV producer said, “Producers will deploy security guards outside the sets and if the federation members try to stop the shoot, they will record it and show to the court.’’
The Cine and Television Artistes Association is not supporting the strike called by the FWICE.
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 "Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone")
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