KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) will implement a standard contract involving crew members, actors and producers containing detailed clauses regarding overtime issues.

Finas chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib said the standard contract, to be implemented this year, aims to resolve the issue of overtime and other matters related to the welfare of workers behind the scenes.

“This standard contract has been discussed at the higher level for about a year or two. Now, it is at the final stage of discussions. Insya-Allah, we can implement it this year.

“Under the standard contract, there will be clauses such as salary scales, working hours per day, insurance and Perkeso (Social Security Organisation) so that the welfare of the workers is protected,” he told reporters after an interview programme with the Finas chief executive officer in conjunction with the Film Crew Day here today.

Film Crew Day is organised by the Professional Film Workers Association of Malaysia (Profima) to celebrate the contribution of workers in the film or television sector.

Meanwhile, he said Finas, in collaboration with Perkeso, will hold a tour series soon to raise awareness about the importance of contributing to Perkeso, especially among workers behind the scenes.

“I was told by Perkeso that about 4,000 out of the 25,000 behind-the-scenes workers are contributing. Many more in the industry need to be made aware of this so that they know how crucial the contribution is.

“... Perkeso has various new incentives, including contributing RM25 a year, for protection. Sometimes, those in this industry do not know about it,” he said.

In another development, Azmir Saifuddin said Finas will discuss with the Communications Ministry about declaring Feb 1 as the Film Crew Day.

“I always welcome ideas and proposals because the crew members are important... without the crew members, there is no (film) industry. We will discuss with the ministry to make it a very important day that can be included in the calendar,” he said. — Bernama