Show us the money,

【发表评论】【加入收藏】【告诉好友】【打印此文】【关闭窗口】

Employees of an company which worked on one of India's first animated features say the firm asked them to resign when they asked for their salaries.

About 30 employees of Mumbai (Bombay) animation studio Silver Line charge that the company has not paid them their fair wages for the past three years.

Silver Line was responsible for the animated feature Hanuman, released last October, which was a major hit at the Indian box office.

Crew members say that they worked around the clock for nearly three shifts to complete the picture, but that the company hasn't paid them nearly 15 million rupees ($338,000 U.S.) in salaries, including gratuities and a provident fund.

Silver Line owner Kumar Subramanyam told the employees that the company lacked funds to pay them -- although Silver Line sold the movie to Sahara One Motion Pictures, which made 130 million rupees ($2.9 million) from the film.

"We worked day and night for the project, but we didn't get any credit. At least we should have been paid on time. But the company seems to avoid us repeatedly," employee Nayan Gaikwad was quoted Sunday as saying by mid-day.com, the flagship Web site of a Bombay-based media conglomerate.

"The company owes nearly 1.5 crore (15 million) rupees including our salary, gratuity and our provident fund," said an unnamed employee. "Instead of paying us, they have asked us to resign. But we have not resigned; otherwise, we may not get our money back."

Employees are "struggling for finances and have even taken up odd and menial jobs for survival," mid-day.com reported.

Three years ago, the artists had filed a complaint against Silver Line in Bandra Labour Court about non-payment of salaries.

"The court ordered the company to pay the employees’ dues in 2003. But the owner sent all the artists a letter stating clearly that they would receive only 25 per cent of their dues, which the employees rejected," said Joshi, a lawyer for the employees.

There are 150 employees at Silver Line. Of these, 120 agreed to settle for 25 per cent of their salaries. The other 30 employees remain unpaid after refusing to accept the company's offer.

The company has totally settled the matter, according to Gopal Krishnan, the lawyer for Silver Line: "Everything has been cleared, and these employees are not the part of the company."

Currently, Silver Line has stopped work, and the 30 unpaid crew members are not allowed to enter the premises. Even Hanuman director V.G. Kamat says that he does not know about the situation, mid-day.com said Sunday.

【Author：佚名】