62% of film and TV workers face wage delays

Almost a quarter suffered  delays of one to three months

More than half of workers (62.3%) in the film and television industry frequently face wage delays, a survey from Lingnan University revealed.

A quarter of those who suffered delays already had an agreement on a payment period before starting the job.

Almost a quarter of film and TV workers surveyed suffered delays of one to three months, whilst 17.4% had to wait for payment for six months or more.

Camera crews, lighting technicians and electricians experience the worst case of delayed payments, with 72.2% and 80%, respectively, indicating that they "always" and "frequently" suffer from payment delays.

Workers in the industry have pursued wage claims, but only half (55.5%) have been successful, whilst 22.6% are still waiting for results, and 21.9% already failed to recover their pay.
 
Most workers who gave up raising the issue of unfair treatment were worried about being bad-mouthed (56.6%) and believed that doing so was ineffective (55.7%).

Some were worried that the process would be complicated and time-consuming (48.1%), whilst others faced “pressure from above” (30.7%) and were concerned about the legal consequences (5.2%)

“In in-depth interviews, the team found that respondents most often attribute this unacceptable treatment to the industry is just the way it is,’ indicating that they feel powerless to change existing norms,” the university shared.

“Those who try to challenge the rules may harm their reputation and lose future job opportunities. The grey area created by such unwritten rules is a hotbed of mistreatment and exploitation, as workers are dissuaded from making complaints,” the university added.