New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) Amid the MeToo storm that has gripped the Bollywood industry, the Producers Guild of India has said the committee has taken steps to ensure the highest standards of safety for employees and crew members, whether in offices or on the sets of productions.

Within the first week of setting up a special committee on sexual harassment, the Producers Guild of India has called for an Extraordinary General Meeting to amend its by-laws.

'The committee will enable all Guild members to institute and implement robust processes in their workplaces to ensure the highest standards of safety for employees and crew members, whether in offices or on the sets of productions. The Guild is committed to working on a sustained and continuing basis to make industry workplaces safe spaces for everyone who works here,' the Guild said in a statement .

'The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013’ and any amendment/successor act thereof has been instituted and implemented in the workplaces, as prescribed by the law.This is to be signed and submitted by every Guild member within 30 days of receipt of the declaration from the Guild. Within these 30 days, the Guild will schedule a series of workshops to be conducted by specialised external agencies, which will enable its members to institute and implement these robust processes at their workplaces, if they have not already done so,' the statement read.

'Failure to submit the declaration to the Guild by the end of 30 days from its receipt, would result in expulsion from the Guild,' it said.

The members will also require to affirm that if any nominated representative of a Guild member is adjudged to have engaged in sexual harassment by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), the Guild has the right to immediately expel the concerned nominated representative.

The decision came after there was a rise in the cases of MeToo movement in Bollywood.

The MeToo movement has gripped filmmakers like Vikas Bahl, Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Subhash Kapoor, actors-- Nana Patekar, Rajat Kapoor, Aloknath, singer--Kailash Kher, Anu Malik and politician M J Akbar.

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