Strike will happen even if the producers sign agreement threatens FWICE's B N Tiwari

It was on 2 August that the apex body of all the television craft and trade associations, the Federation of Western Employees Cine Employees (FWICE), had threatened to stall the industry by calling for a strike from 15 August. The FWICE had sent notices to Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), The Film & Television Producers Guild of India, The Indian Film & Television Producers Council (IFTPC) and the Western Indian Film Producers’ Association (WIFPA) saying it will not allow its members to go to work if its demands of higher wages, fixed working hours and insurance cover for workers are not met. Now. FWICE president B.N. Tiwari says that the association is hellbent on the strike even if its terms are met. Speaking to Tellychakkar.com he raged: "This time around we are going to pull the strike for 48 hours at least, even if the TV Producers Guild signs the dotted line on the agreement. The strike won’t be called off and we will not let any work to be done. Even if the producers hire outsiders to pitch in, we will not let them function. No work will be allowed to done on the days of the strike.” He added that: "the producers are treating us like slaves; this has been the case for a long time now. There have been several talks and now we are hell bent on bringing the TV industry to a standstill. They need to acknowledge our presence and this is the only way.” However, the production community was relatively sanguine that this would not come to pass. Said Neela Telefilms founder Asit Kumar Modi: “The Film & TV Producers Guild is dealing with the situation and they will surely take a proper decision. Personally speaking, I do not feel there will be any problem of sorts. Everyone will work in tandem. I firmly believe, the strike will not come to pass because we depend on the workers and the workers depend on us. The strike will not happen.” Asserting his trust on both the associations, Modi further acknowledged, “I believe in the guild and FWICE as well. They will not take any wrong decision. I don’t think there will be any problem as I am a very positive person.” Tellychakkar also got in touch with Beyond Dreams promoter Yash Patnaik who said: "The producers saw it coming and they are well-prepared to counter it. We have banks of episodes that can be aired during the strike. The strike is just putting the entire industry in jeopardy and this is not the way a solution can be achieved." Harping on the pressures of TV he exclaimed “Everyone has to deliver one episode a day. Under such circumstances, not just the technicians but everyone extends their working hours but if that is a huge issue then the channels should not have dailies.” Mentioning about the eight hours working demand of FWICE, he stated, “If there are no dailies and there are just weekend serials, so many people will lose their jobs. There are a very few channels - just five GECs - the workforce is increasing, every technician is being paid well. A spot boy gets Rs 25,000 monthly; make-up artists make almost Rs one lakh monthly which is more than what a qualified MBA professional makes in a month.” We also spoke to JD Majethia who also happens to be the spokesperson for IFTPC TV producers committee. He said, this is not a personal issue. “I always look at the workers’ interests at large. I am a worker, the production managers, the directors or the writers are workers for that matter. We all are workers.” Putting a lid on all the probable miscommunication and misunderstanding Majethia stated, “We never want to hurt our workers. They are our men. We all work in one industry and we are very happy to work with one and all. There are a few people who are spreading the misconception or misunderstanding and we would like to clear that.” Come to think of it, this is not a first occurrence, about 10 years ago in the year 2008, a similar indefinite non-cooperation protest happened which brought the industry to a standstill. However back then the industry dynamics were different, the economy was different. If it actually happens this time around, an industry insider tells us “The lives of many people will be impacted; the fortunes of many people will be impacted. The productions houses are on a per day basis; they are standing costs of sets, of shoots, of episodes to be delivered on time. All in all, if things halt for two days, the loss to be incurred by the industry would stand at a minimum of Rs 10 to 15 Crores a day! The producers associations are slated to have meetings over the next 24-48 hours to help defuse the crisis. And probably build a consensus on the way forward, considering the FWICE's hardened stance. Even broadcasters like Colors, Star, Sony and Zee will have to take their decisions. The next two days are surely going to be interesting for all in the television industry as the drama between producers, the workers associations, and broadcasters plays out. So stay tuned in!