AN ORGANIZATION representing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) workers said it will lobby Congress again to legislate reasonable work conditions for the sector, after such efforts failed in the 17th Congress.
The BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) told BusinessWorld that after legislators failed to pass the Magna Carta for BPO workers in the last sitting of Congress, it will try again in the 18th Congress.
BIEN is lobbying for appropriate working hours and just wages, and will solicit a manifesto among its 1.3 million workers.
“We have the manifesto. Pinapaikot namin yun (We are circulating it). We are actually gathering (signatures from) all call center employees… (If we can) get half or more than half to show that this is what we want: better working conditions; occupational safety and health standards; and security of tenure,” said BIEN Vice President Sarah Prestoza.
Ms. Prestoza noted that the organization will be pushing for fair working hours and wages since a number of BPO employees get paid less than the number of hours they work. She added that the industry needs to provide for its workers’ safety and health due to problems associated with working on the night shift.
Ms. Prestoza said union busting is also common in the call center industry, adding that some BPO companies have unjustly terminated employees for organizing. The Department of Labor and Employment’s (DoLE) position is that many BPOs are not covered by labor laws since operate in economic zones.
A Magna Carta for Call Center Workers was first proposed by the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in 2010. Former Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her son, former Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado M. Arroyo, also filed a House counterpart bill in 2011. In the 17th Congress, Manila 3rd District Rep. John Marvin C. Nieto and Manila 4th District Rep. Edward Vera P. Maceda filed a similar bill that failed to pass. — Gillian M. Cortez
