A call center workers group is calling for reforms to address the unjust labor practices in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
The Inter-Call Center Association of Workers (ICCAW) asked the government to strictly regulate labor practices of the small BPOs and standardize benefits and pay in the industry to protect the call center agents.
“We are not against the BPO (industry), but we are here just to curb the malpractice. Ang nakita sa government ang progress sa BPO, wala siya kakita sa malpractice sa employees (The government sees the progress of the BPO industry, but they fail to see the malpractice of the employers on their employees),” said Marleo Enobio, ICCAW’s vice president for internal affairs, last Monday.
The main purpose of ICCAW is to help agents with problems concerning their employers, particularly, the small and medium BPOs, that take advantage of them, said Sylvio Dorig, ICCAW vice president for external affairs.
Dorig said they are currently monitoring three of these SME companies which have committed several violations against their agents.
Dorig said the sudden closure of these firms without prior notice tops the list of common violations committed against call center workers. (See 10 common violations table)
He said that the ‘relaunching’ ploy of small call center companies, wherein the business runs for two years then shuts down without prior notice before morphing into a new company, is often done to avoid the company’s liabilities to its employees.
Enobio said the organization is willing to work together with the Department of Labor and Employment to curb abuses done to call center agents.
He also encouraged the call center companies to form an organization especially among small call center companies to ensure the quality of each business.
ICCAW is pushing for the wage standardization of call center employees.
Dorig said that wages have been steadily decreasing from previous starting rates of P18,000 to P12,000 or P11,000 nowadays.
The group is also proposing a bond requirement from the company upon setting up a new call center.
The bond will amount to a month’s basic salary of all hired employees and will be used in case of sudden closure.
The group also proposed benefits to be standardized such as basic hospitalization and insurance for non-regular employees; a basic wage of P12,000 plus a transportation and meal allowance of P2,500; regular inspection of call center sites by Dole; a yearly tax break of 2 months; and regularization of employees after a maximum probationary period of six months./UP Intern Gerriane Rizon