INDONESIA, thewasesanews.com — The Indonesian Film Workers Union, united under the Federation of Indonesian Film Workers Unions (FSPPI), has launched a sweeping collective movement in Jakarta to demand urgent labour reforms, humane working hours, fair wage standards, and comprehensive social security protections across the nation’s film industry.
​The mobilization comes as workers across technical, creative, and performance sectors unite to confront systemic labour exploitation, long-standing institutional neglect, and precarious working conditions that have long persisted beneath the glamorous facade of Indonesian cinema.
​Film crews and artists from various production disciplines are joining forces under the FSPPI banner, signaling a historic turning point for working-class resistance within the national cultural sector.
​For decades, production companies operating throughout the country have normalized grueling schedules that force crew members to mobilize before dawn, while their families remain fast asleep, only to return home well past the next morning in pursuit of ruthless production deadlines.
​This relentless pace of work has inflicted severe physical, mental, and emotional tolls on thousands of workers behind the scenes, leaving many suffering from chronic exhaustion and occupational health risks.
​Despite performing intense physical and technical labor, these dedicated workers are routinely stripped of basic employment rights, including fair overtime compensation, standardized base wages, and any form of retirement security.
​The precarious conditions characterizing the domestic film industry do not only affect camera operators, lighting technicians, sound engineers, and manual crew members operating behind the scenes.
​Performers, actors, and background artists standing before the camera face similarly severe vulnerabilities, as the blatant denial of royalty payments deprives them of fair compensation for their creative work.
​Furthermore, a total disregard for occupational health and safety standards on production sets leaves cultural workers exposed to severe exploitation under the guise of “industry loyalty.”
​For years, production capital and studio executives have maintained these exploitative practices, expecting workers to accept unpaid overtime, unsafe working conditions, and indefinite delays in compensation as necessary sacrifices for cinematic production.
​However, refusing to tolerate this institutional neglect any longer, workers across the film industry are rising up to demand a sweeping reform of labour standards across the entire film sector.
​The union leadership has articulated a clear set of demands aimed at dismantling predatory employment practices and establishing legally binding labour protections for all screen industry personnel.
​“We are not disposable labour to be exploited without rights. We demand wage standards, humane working hours, universal health coverage, and retirement protections that have been denied to us for far too long!” declared Zulfikar, Deputy Chairperson of the Federation of Indonesian Film Workers Unions (FSPPI).
Zulfikar emphasized that the current uprising serves as a direct warning to production capital and policymakers, asserting that no creative industry can boast progress when built upon the ruthless exploitation of its working class.
​Additionally, the FSPPI is calling for the strict enforcement of humane daily working hours, mandatory rest periods between shooting days, and guaranteed overtime pay for extended production schedules.
​Universal health coverage and comprehensive occupational safety protections must also be integrated into production contracts to ensure that workers receive proper medical care and financial security.
​Retirement protection mechanisms and statutory royalty frameworks are further highlighted as essential components needed to guarantee long-term financial stability for cultural workers.
​Industry analysts note that while the national film sector has experienced commercial growth and heightened visibility in recent years, the underlying labour infrastructure has remained largely unregulated.
​The absence of standardized contracts and enforceable labour codes has allowed production entities to operate with minimal accountability toward their freelance and contract workforces.
​By organizing film crews and performers into a unified bargaining front, the FSPPI aims to establish binding collective standards that will permanently transform employment dynamics across the media landscape.
​Union representatives plan to initiate formal dialogue with government ministries and industry associations to enact legislative reforms that protect film workers under national labour laws.
​The movement also seeks to raise public awareness regarding the hidden human cost of film production, urging audiences and streaming platforms to support ethically produced cinematic content.
​As the FSPPI expands its mobilization efforts across Jakarta and major production hubs nationwide, film workers remain resolute in their pursuit of equity, justice, and fundamental labour rights.
​The ongoing struggle highlights a decisive moment for Indonesian cinema, establishing that true creative progress cannot exist without protecting the working class that brings film to life.
Source: Federation of Indonesian Film Workers Unions (FSPPI)
