From as early as June, domestic film crews will be able to join social insurance policies, and receive a “standardized” payroll and technical training. 

Companies that do not abide by the guidelines will be banned from releasing their films and will be excluded from government investment, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday at the signing of the agreement between the Korean Film Council and the Federation of Korean Movie Workers’ Union, and Lotte Entertainment, Show Box, Next Entertainment World, CJ E&M and CJ CGV.

“We believe that everyone should benefit from the remarkable success Korean films have made in recent years. We hope the guidelines can later be adapted for many other small-scale cultural industries, too,” said Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong.

According to the agreement, all production companies should adopt a standardized contract guaranteeing better income as well as subscription to the national pension, national health insurance, unemployment insurance and industrial accident compensation insurance for film crews.

Films by companies who have delayed paying their employees will be banned from screening and the government will exclude those who do not abide by the guidelines from state-led investment and funding.

The agreement came as calls for better living conditions of film workers have mounted over the years. According to government data, the average payroll of a team manager in the industry in 2012 stood at 9.16 million won ($8,200) a year, far below the standard minimum wage of 11.48 million won. Industry insiders said those just starting out in the field are thought to make less than 6 million won a year. About 39.4 percent of the film crew surveyed said they were still owed wages.

Moreover, less than 50 percent of the workers had social insurance policies, which made them even more vulnerable to various potential mishaps, the report suggested.

“The biggest problem is that their employment status is unstable and they do not know their rights. The contract is expected to protect workers in the field,” an official from the Federation of Korean Movie Workers’ Union said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)