Telugu cine workers to begin indefinite strike; Waltair Veerayya, Salaar and many films to get affected

More than 20,000 Telugu cine workers are planning to begin an indefinite strike on Wednesday, protesting against low wages. The workers' unions comprising 24 crafts of cinema are also gearing up to stage a protest at the Telugu Film Industry Employees Federation demanding a pay hike.

The workers are expressing disappointment over the lack of coordination between the Telugu Film Chamber, Telugu Film Producers Council and the Film Industry Employees Federation and have decided to go on a strike until their demands are addressed.

The strike will affect several films which are under production, including Chiranjeevi's Waltair Veerayya, Bholaa Shankar, Prabhas' Salaar and the upcoming Ram Charan-Shankar film (RC 15) among others.

"We have every right to ask for better wages. On average, a film worker gets anywhere between 500-1500 per day. We knew that our decision would affect all the film shootings, but if we won't fight for our rights, who else will?" quips a senior film worker on condition of anonymity.

He also urged the producers to pay the wages on time. "A few producers are not clearing the dues even after repeated requests. We want transparency in payments and request them to pay us soon after the shoot gets completed," he adds.