The President of the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) RK Selvamani has announced that the technicians associated with the federation would go on an indefinite strike from August 1 if their demands for higher wages are not met. The Tamil Film Producers’ Council had earlier refused to accede to the demands made by FEFSI and went on to announce that the filmmakers are free to employ any technician not associated with FEFSI.
Speaking at the press meet, RK Selvamani pointed out, “The FEFSI has nearly 25,000 members and it is unfair if the council refuses to pay the wages which have already been agreed upon.”
Meanwhile, Vishal, the President of the Tamil Film Producers’ Council had said that their stand on this issue remains unchanged. In a press statement issued by the Producers’ Council, it has been stated, “The technicians’ union should compensate for the loss incurred and only then will we work with the union. Until this issue is resolved, we do not wish to proceed with the discussions related to wages.
It may be mentioned that the makers of Billa Pandi had to undergo huge losses as the technicians went on a flash strike demanding higher wages.
At the TFPC press meet, its Vice President Prakash Raj had said that the producers’ council is not against paying the technicians but would pay wages that are right. He added that the film shootings would continue from August 1 and appealed to all those interested FEFSI workers to report to work.
The tweet from the TFPC handle reads, “Tomorrow all film shooting will happen as usual.”
With the stand-off between the Producers’ Council and FEFSI continuing, it needs to be seen what the next course of action would be.
(Content provided by Digital Native)