Hema Committee impact: AMMA likely to split as members seek nod to form trade union

Kochi: At least 20 members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) approached the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) on Thursday, demanding a separate trade union for the actors in the film industry.

The actors submitted a request to FEFKA general secretary B Unnikrishnan. As of now, 21 unions function under FEFKA.

Seventeen male actors and three female actors from the Malayalam film industry approached Unnikrishnan and communicated their requests, reported Manorama News. “The union should be formed first. FEFKA will give an official validation for the group later, accessing its by-law, executive committee and structure. “However, we will maintain the identity of AMMA, and its membership procedures will remain unaffected,” Unnikrishnan said.

In the aftermath of the public release of the Hema Committee report, numerous female employees in the industry had come forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment against some high-profile colleagues, ultimately resulting in the mass resignation of an AMMA executive. Actor Siddique and director Ranjith resigned from their respective positions as the actor body’s general secretary and the Kerala Film Academy chairman, following sexual assault accusations.

As more stories of exploitation emerged, the state government formed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on August 25 to investigate those cases.