Netflix announces $100 million compensation for out-of-work daily-wage workers

With the threat of the coronavirus pandemic not likely to disappear any time soon, Netflix has announced monetary compensation to workers who are currently out of work because of the shutdown.

According to a report on the HollywoodReporter.com website, Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, said in a letter that the company will be releasing a generous amount of $100 million to thousands of crew members who are forced to stay without work, including drivers, carpenters and electricians, who are either on daily wages or get paid on a project-by-project basis.

“Most of the fund will go towards support for the hardest hit workers on our own productions around the world,” said Sarandos in the letter. “We are in the process of working out exactly what this means, production by production. This is in addition to the two weeks pay we have already committed to the crew and cast on productions we were forced to suspend last week.”

He also added that the aid will not be limited to people working only on Netflix productions. “Beyond helping workers on our own productions, we want to support the broader film and television industry. So $15 million of the fund will go to third parties and non-profits providing emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast in countries where we have a large production base,” said Sarandos. 

In India, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and Producers' Guild of India have promised to help daily-wage workers and those who are out of work because of the countrywide shutdown.