West Bengal Issues New Rules to End Boycott Culture in Tollywood, Sets Shooting Hours and Overtime Limits
The West Bengal government has issued a new directive aimed at reducing long-standing problems in the entertainment industry, including excessively long shooting hours, uncertainty over pay, and workers losing opportunities for not holding an organisation's membership. The directive covers shooting schedules, overtime wages, written contracts and worker safety, and also stresses ending the practice of blanket boycotts within the industry.
Issued by the state's Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, the directive is to apply to shooting for films, mega serials, OTT productions and various digital platforms, in Bengali or other languages. Its stated aim is to reduce long-running discontent among producers, artists and technicians and make the working environment more orderly.
Under the new rules, an artist or technician who is otherwise qualified cannot be denied work solely for not holding a guild or association membership or a union card.
How many technicians or crew members a shoot requires will be decided by the producer according to the budget. No organisation will be allowed to pressure a production into hiring extra staff beyond that determined need, the directive says.
Imposing punitive measures such as a blanket boycott or a ban from the industry over a dispute about unpaid fees has also been declared unlawful.
Shooting hours have been fixed to reduce workload and ensure adequate rest. For film and OTT shoots, a 10-hour shift may include at most four hours of overtime, while an eight-hour shift may include at most six hours of overtime.
For mega serials, the directive proposes an eight-hour shift with a maximum of four hours of overtime.
For work beyond eight hours, producers must pay overtime at twice the normal wage rate for each hour. At least six consecutive hours of rest must also be ensured between two successive shooting shifts.
Written contracts must be signed with artists and technicians before work begins. Those contracts must state the description of the work, the amount of pay and when it will be paid. Pay below the minimum wage set by the labour department is not permitted.
Several conditions have also been set for keeping the shooting environment safe. In particular, safe transport must be arranged when work ends late at night. Adequate drinking water, clean food, toilets, rest rooms and first aid must also be provided.
To prevent workplace harassment, bullying or improper behaviour, every production company must prepare a written standard operating procedure (SOP). A separate cell must also be formed to receive complaints.
The directive, signed by Information and Cultural Affairs Secretary Soumitra Mohan, says the state government will soon launch a digital information portal. It will contain lists of artists and technicians, online membership facilities and arrangements related to shooting permissions.
The government has also said it will take initiatives to ensure social protection such as health insurance and a provident fund (PF) for entertainment workers. How far working conditions actually change for artists and technicians will depend on how effectively these rules are followed in practice.
