The association alleged that the technicians’ union has been flouting the CCI’s past orders.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, actor Parambrata Chatterjee said, “The FCTWEI has been acting as a law-making and law-enforcing body, exceeding its mandate as a union which should be focused on the workers’ welfare. This is a clear violation of the CCI’s 2018-2019 order.”

The DAEI claims to have gathered substantial evidence on the FCTWEI’s alleged disregard for the established rules and its attempts to monopolise the market. A trade union’s primary responsibility is to protect the interests of its members, not to impose new regulations, it added.

The announcement came a day before the inauguration of the 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

Chatterjee, however, clarified, “For the last 25 years, I have been taking part in the KIFF. It is everyone’s film festival. There is no connection with our announcement of a legal fight against the federation and the festival.”

Accusing the federation of obstructing work, actor-director Parambrata Chatterjee said, “The federation is preventing those from the outside to work. A trade union has no legal right to make any rules of an industry. They don’t allow people to work with small banners and unnecessarily force them to hire a large number of people. The number of technicians for each format is specified by the federation.”

Claiming that a director or producer cannot work with the people of their choice, he said, “This is illegal. It is natural for a director and producer to shoot with the people of their choice.”

In June, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had formed a committee to resolve the standoff between the two bodies after a section of directors and technicians went on a strike.