Producers ultimatum to striking workers

HYDERABAD: With film workers unrelenting on their demand for revision of wages and continuing their week-long strike, the Telugu Film Producers Council (TFPC) on Friday issued an ultimatum to them.The producers asked them to accept what was being offered orelse they would take recourse to legal means to end thestalemate.This being the situation, the general council of the A P Film Industry Employees Federation is set to meet on Saturday to once again discuss the wage revision offer of producers.The wage revisionpertains to only six unions which are refusing the offer of the producers for a32 per cent hike. Agreements with 17 other unions of film workers have alreadybeen signed as they have accepted the increase."Though it is a weeksince the strike began, it will continue until the six unions are satisfied. Theconcern of the unions is that since the next revision will take place only afterthree years, what is now being offered is neglible," federation generalsecretary K Rajeshwar Reddy said.But producers have a differentversion. On Friday producers D Suresh Babu, Ravi Kishore, `Dil' Raju and TPrasanna Kumar Reddy held a press conference to give a comparison of the wagesof film workers all over the country."Film workers in Andhra Pradeshare getting the maximum wages, yet they want more and are holding the filmindustry to ransom," TFPC secretary T Prasanna Kumar said.TFPCsources said some of the producers were planning to approach the court againstthe film workers. Another proposal in front of the producers is to get the filmworkers under the Labour Act so that the provisions could apply to them aboutthe wages."There is scope to pay much less wages under the LabourAct," a producer said.