Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Steven Ma finalising contract renewal details with TVB

Steven Ma's is in the midst of negotiating his contract renewal with TVB's management as his current contract expires in mid 2009. A few days ago, there was news that TVB has laid off over 200 staffs and bracing itself for the tough times ahead. TVB is also rumoured to be freezing the salary of artistes in addition to laying off some staff.

Steven Ma TVB

Steven expressed that employee retrenchment cannot be avoided, however, it will be a company's last option. He also talked about his contract renewal with TVB management. Steven assured that the problem is not about his pay, "Because there are numerous details that still need to be hammered out. It’s not over money; rather it’s about my desire to branch out into different directions." Steven mentioned that he did not ask for an increment but made it clear that he is against pay cut. However, he has no problems if his salary is frozen and remains the same. "I will accept salary freeze so that we can all get through this hardship together. But I oppose pay cut, because a few hundred dollars less income can bring immense hardship to a family. Which is why I also oppose fee reduction for outside jobs," Steven explained.

Steven also expressed his concerns for working class families who may not be able to weather these tough times. He also explained that he cannot judge if TVB is ruthless by taking the retrenchment route as he is only an artiste. He explained that he does not have access to the company's decision making process. "It’s a regrettable situation! Stephen Chen is right, it’s an inevitable decision; there’s no other alternative," Steven lamented.

Source: Steven-Ma.org with translations by Tamaya @ AsianFanatics.net

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