The Tollywood strike initiated by the Employees’ Federation is causing significant losses to the industry. Recently, the Producers Council held a meeting with TFIEF, but unfortunately, talks have failed. The Producers Council proposed a raise for lower-paid workers, tied to working conditions, but TFIEF rejected this offer outright, leading to the continuation of the strike.
Today, a few producers, including Cherry from Mythri Movie Makers, Vivek Kuchibhotla, and Radha Mohan, held a meeting to discuss the issue. After the meeting, they spoke to the press. The producers made it clear that they are not against the workers and added that they are ready to discuss a wage increase, provided the workers agree to their four proposals, which are as follows:
1. The opportunity to hire any talented person.
2. To consider fighters and dancers without any ratio restrictions.
3. Along with the 6 AM to 6 PM call sheet, implement the 9 AM to 9 PM schedule as well.
4. No double call sheets on Sundays (double call sheets only on the second Sunday and government-declared holidays).
It was mentioned that the first and second proposals had already been agreed upon in 2022. However, discussions have stalled on the last two proposals. Producers have requested the workers to understand their current situation (higher marketing costs and the decline of non-theatrical rights) and ensure cooperation.