The television industry, with the practice of monthly salaries, may come across as a progressive employer, but the inside story is not so rosy. The recent strike included workers from television.
The industry’s erratic shooting schedules are near inhuman, and those working on daily soaps say shifts can run up to 18 hours, or sometimes even 22. Workers don’t complain for fear of being replaced.
“Workers and technicians get a monthly salary, but they don’t always enjoy regular work hours or even weekly off days,” says Ashish Rego, member of the All India Film Employees Confederation. He says most productions ignore labour law stipulations.
“Workers don’t get wages on time, leave alone compensation for overtime,” he rues.
The phenomenal growth of the television industry in the last decade has made matters worse. The biggest offenders seem to be reality shows.
“We are on call from 7 a.m. till midnight,” says K. Durairaja Pandian, head carpenter and senior vice-chairman of Film and Studio Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union. “We then have to stay back for another hour or two to pack up. There are producers who only pay ₹700 a day.”
J.D. Majethia, producer and co-chairman of Indian Film and Television Producers Council’s, was at the epicentre of the recent strike that saw his mock-funeral organised.
He refutes all charges and says that before any new show, every producer gets an insurance policy for the set and the workers. “Do you think broadcasters will let us get away with irregularities?” he asks.
Ashoke Pandit, president of Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association, says most producers do toe the line eventually. “If a member is wronged, we arrange meetings and negotiations. In the last one year, our association has managed to recover ₹1 crore for members.”