Former workers sue Idol producer

Fremantle produces American Idol which has created many stars

American Idol producer Fremantle Media is being sued by former employees who are claiming they were forced to work under "sweatshop" conditions.

The three ex-reality TV show workers say they were made to work up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, without overtime pay.

They also allege they were denied meal and rest breaks required under California state law.

A spokesman for Fremantle Media declined to make any comment.

In legal papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the workers further alleged that Fremantle engaged in a "fraudulent scheme" to conceal the hours they worked, forcing them to falsify their time cards so that they would not be paid overtime.

'No glamour'

The former employees include a music coordinator for American Idol, an associate producer for the reality-based TV series Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency, and a producer for the game show Temptation.

"There's no Hollywood glamour for the below-the-line people who work on American Idol and other reality shows, who are grossly underpaid, worked 24/7 and receive no rest or meal breaks and no health coverage contrary to California labour laws," lawyer Jonathan Biddle said.

The suit, on behalf of past and current Fremantle employees, marks the latest effort to highlight the experience of workers in the reality TV sector, which is largely non-unionised.

The complaint mirrors legal action against reality TV production companies and broadcasters, filed in 2005.

Those suits, which were backed by the Writers Guild of America, also alleged the violation of wage laws and was settled in January for more than $4 million (