Film industry’s Ram, aka Arun Govil, has offered his support to the workers of the film industry. Arun met members of the
Federation of Western India Cine Employees
, who handed over the charter of demands to him. President
BN Tiwari
said, “Arun Govil is the first
Lok Sabha
member who reached out to us and offered to raise our issues in Parliament. He called us, and we went with all our demands, which he heard out and has promised to resolve.”
When quizzed about the demands raised by the
FWICE
with Arun Govil, Tiwari said, “We have asked for eight hours of work a day, after which workers should be paid for double shifts.
We also requested a compulsory holiday on Sunday so that our members can spend time with their families, as most of them are currently overworked with erratic working hours.”
Apart from working hours and payment, another point that Tiwari highlighted was the working conditions for
women in cinema
. He said, “We have addressed this in a big way and insisted that if women and children are shooting at night on film and television sets, they must be dropped home, and it will be the production house’s responsibility. Also, changing rooms for women, health, hygiene, and safety on sets are top priorities.”
Tiwari said that a tripartite agreement between FWICE, producers, and the government needs to be formed, and Arun Govil has promised to take this up in the Lok Sabha. Tiwari added, “We are touched that our very own Ram reached out to us and wants to do good work for the benefit of the industry.”
“It is for the first time someone from the film industry has reached out to us. He told us that during his tenure, he wants to do a lot of work for our fraternity,” he concluded.