Why has Telugu film industry come to a complete shutdown? Massive strike halts all shoots; here’s what’s really happening

The Telugu film industry, also known as Tollywood, is going through a complete shutdown starting Monday (August 4). This is because the Telugu Film Employees Federation has called for a strike due to a long-pending issue over wage hikes.

Even after having multiple meetings, the Federation, the Telugu Film Producers Council, and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce couldn’t agree. So, the Federation finally decided on Sunday to begin an indefinite strike.

Why is the Telugu film industry on strike?

The main reason for the strike is the Federation's demand for a 30% increase in daily wages of workers. This demand has not been taken seriously for a long time. The Federation represents 24 different groups of film workers, and its leaders say that wages haven’t been revised in three years, which is now affecting the lives of more than 10,000 workers in the industry.

Rajeswar Reddy, the former General Secretary of the Federation, said on Sunday, "Our workers will not report to duty from tomorrow (August 4) as decided by our executive committee members. Despite holding multiple rounds of discussions with producers, they have shown reluctance to revise the wages."

What are they asking for?

Reddy explained that workers are paid Rs 1,400 per day, which needs to be increased by 30%. He also said that while big names in the industry like directors, editors, choreographers, cinematographers, and stuntmen are able to negotiate their fees, the daily wage workers are the ones who face the most trouble.

He added, "Each film employs 150 to 200 such workers. Producers spend crores on top technicians but hesitate when it comes to marginal hikes for lower-tier workers."

The Federation also said that wages should be paid every day, and not be held up as pending payments.

What did the producers offer?

The Telugu Film Producers Council and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce reportedly offered a 5% wage hike, but the Federation immediately rejected it. As a result, many big-budget films and shows have now come to a standstill due to this indefinite strike.

The Federation made it clear that work will only begin again once their demands are accepted, and when production houses give a written confirmation agreeing to their terms.