MORE than 100 employees have been axed from the Gold Coast set of international blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok following set cuts.
An exclusive Bulletin investigation can reveal that a further 80 staff were given their termination notice on Friday. All are believed to work on sets and construction.
The Bulletin revealed on Friday that 25 staff had been sacked, with a further 30 expecting marching orders that day, but two sources now claim it was closer to 80. The staff had believed they would have work until late October or early November.
Chis Hemsworth as Thor in Thor Ragnarok
âTwo weeks ago you couldnât drive into the studio for all the traffic and getting out took 15 minutes â now you can just drive in and out instantly, it feels quite desolate,â the worker said.
He added the jobs of interstate and New Zealand crew working on the film, which is being directed by Kiwi Taika Waititi, were being favoured ahead of locals.
âThere is quite a lot of antagonism about how the New Zealand crew is being well looked after and seem to be in charge of a lot of the main jobs,â the worker said.
Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira did not return calls yesterday but said last week: âDifferent skill sets are needed at different times and not all crew work for the duration of the filming.â
Last month, $30 million of taxpayer money was poured into the pockets of Screen Queensland. It comes on the back of the Federal Government dishing out a $47.25 million grant to secure Thor: Ragnarok and 20th Century Foxâs latest Alien movie.
Thor: Ragnarok star Mark Ruffalo, who plays The Hulk. Picture from his Instagram page.
Of the cuts, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said their work as set builders was simply âfinishedâ despite the fact they were promised work until November.
âWhat we have seen is that the stage for Thor has been completed and those jobs are finished,â Ms Palaszczuk said.
âAs the construction comes to an end, what we will see is more jobs when actors come in. I donât have any concerns. Iâm very satisfied.â
Earlier this month, Ms Palaszczuk justified the money, saying: âThe $30 million funding means jobs for Queensland, jobs for the tourism industry and jobs for our screen Âindustry.ââ
It infuriated a Thor: Ragnarok set worker, who finished last Thursday after receiving a weekâs notice.
âWhat the hell are they (Screen Queensland) doing with that money?â he said.
âI came back from Europe for this job and was told Iâd have at least six monthsâ work.
âI got a weekâs notice and havenât had time to organise work.
âIâve got a mortgage and kids to feed.
âTheyâve looked after their own and itâs the locals who have all suffered.â