A group of business process outsourcing (BPO) employees on Thursday urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to enforce measures that will ensure the rights of BPO workers to safe labor conditions amid calamities and other hazards.
BIEN (BPO Industry Employees Network) Philippines made this statement after it formally requested the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct labor inspection and investigate 98 BPO companies for possible violation of the law on occupational safety and DOLE’s guidelines on work suspension during inclement weather.
BIEN Philippines said that the network received many reports of many BPO employees who claimed that they were forced to work onsite despite ‘widespread flooding,’ ‘high-risk travel conditions,’ and power interruptions, and those who skipped work were issued a ‘notice to explain.’
In response, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma ordered the concerned regional offices to invite firms to explain the allegations and inspection of companies being complained about ‘to ensure the safety of the workers.’ Aside from this, the network and the DOLE held a dialogue on Wednesday to discuss the concerns raised on unsafe work practices and recommendations to resolve them.
With this, BIEN Philippines urged Marcos ‘to match DOLE’s investigation with decisive national action.’ It said that the government must be proactive in ensuring the upholding of labor rights of BPO employees.
‘The President must back measures that strengthen disaster and safety protocols, guarantee hazard pay during calamities, and end the corporate impunity that endangers BPO workers,’ BIEN Philippines said in a Facebook post.
The group also called on the DOLE to guarantee that its inspection will cover all affected companies and will include workers’ representatives.
In response to IBPAP
In the same statement, the BIEN Philippines slammed the remarks of the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) that its members are prioritizing the safety and welfare of their employees amid Uwan.
IBPAP came to defense after BIEN Philippines reported that 98 companies allegedly forced their workers to work despite the harsh weather conditions. The IBPAP, which counts over 400 member companies in the IT and BPO industries, said that the industry had to continue its operations for its international clients.
‘IBPAP member companies continued operations as their global clients expected from them, doing much more than ‘business as usual’ for their employees,’ IBPAP said in a separate statement.
‘Management discretion always placed primacy on the health and safety of their employees and went beyond standard company processes and practices under normal conditions,’ IBPAP added.
With this, BIEN Philippines asserted that many BPO employees were forced to work under unsafe labor conditions and were made to choose between risking their safety and losing incentives.
‘This is not ‘business continuity.’ It is the normalization of exploitation in the name of ‘client expectations,” BIEN Philippines said.
‘IBPAP’s invocation of ‘management discretion’ exposes the fundamental problem in the industry. Companies treat worker safety as optional, not guaranteed,’ BIEN added.