A last-minute deal has been reached to prevent a strike of almost 60,000 film and TV workers in the US.

There had been fears that the strike, over working conditions and pay, would cripple the industry as behind-the-scenes workers walked away from their jobs.

But after days of talks, representatives from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the studios and entertainment companies reached a three-year contract agreement.

The union’s members, who include cinematographers, camera operators, set designers, carpenters, hair and makeup artists, still need to vote to approve the agreement.

Workers said previous contracts allowed their employers to force them to work excessive hours and deny them reasonable rest and meal breaks, and sufficient time off between shifts.

They were also unhappy that many discounted pay rates agreed with streaming services when they were new players on the production scene are still in force, despite the growth of those firms.

In September, cinematographer Peyton Skelton told Sky News’s Greg Milam that he had crashed his car driving home from work early on a Saturday morning after an 80-hour week.

“The toll on the body and toll on the mentality of each worker is great,” he said.

Details of the new agreement have not yet been released.