The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) on Sunday issued a cease and desist order to a business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Cebu for lacking disaster response plans during natural calamities.
According to Dole, the BPO had ‘no emergency and disaster preparedness and response plan in its occupational safety and health (OSH) program.’
The government agency also urged the said company to utilize flexible working arrangements. On October 2, representatives of the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) filed a complaint against 30 BPO companies for allegedly violating labor and occupational safety laws during the earthquake that hit Cebu on September 30.
According to BIEN-Cebu, employees were reported to have been forced back to their offices after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that left over 70 individuals dead and over 100 injured.
BIEN also reported that emergency exits in some Cebu offices were reportedly blocked. Additionally, some employees reported being offered double pay to continue working after the earthquake, while others were ordered to resume work right after the earthquake, with some alleging they were asked to return to work 30 minutes after the disaster hit.
Reports of verbal threats and downplaying of workers’ concerns were also made, and some employees who went home after the earthquake were marked as unpaid, lost attendance bonuses, and were suspended from work.
Furthermore, some employees were purportedly coerced into signing memos promising not to speak about the situation on social media.
BIEN-Cebu, in their complaint, asked Dole to investigate the allegations and hold the respective employers accountable for violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards law.