“Stop using the gains of BPO workers to advance your political career!” – This is the strong reminder of the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN Philippines) to presumed Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas. BIEN Philippines, the broadest network and duly accredited labor association of BPO workers with members from the top 70 BPO companies and all major BPO hubs across the country , called for the Liberal Party and President Aquino to stop using the BPO industry as a prized-trophy of Mar Roxas.
In one political advertisement Roxas was even being tagged as “Mr. BPO”. We would like to remind Mr. Roxas that the growth of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is mainly because of the resiliency and stellar service that BPO workers put into our jobs. Our clients and investors choose the Philippines, despite the competitive global market, mainly because Filipino workers are top-of-the-class customer service oriented people. BPO workers would even risk life and limb just to go to work even the worst forms of disaster to hit the country. At the height of the Yolanda devastation, the Cebu-Bohol earthquake, and many other calamities to hit the country, BPO workers remain committed in providing stellar service to our clients. This is despite our continued calls for Malacanang to intervene and enforce work suspension even on our industry.
Apparently, if we are to credit Mar Roxas on his efforts for the BPO industry, it is the “self-regulating practice” that many companies are doing today. The very reason why BPO workers are still required to go to work even during calamities is because of the same policy. When Roxas was still the Department of Trade and Industry Secretary, he and together with the IT-Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines (IT BPAP) enforced the “self regulating” policy in the BPO where most policies implemented by companies are either left unchecked by state agencies or is not being regulated by the department of labor. It comes to no surprise that almost every day, a case is being filed at the National Labor Relations Commission against any BPO company for unfair labor practices. If there is such a legacy that Mar Roxas left to the BPO sector, it is opening doors for exploitation and abuses against BPO workers!
If Mar Roxas will continue with this credit-grabbing and thievery, BIEN Philippines with the 1 million strong BPO workers across the country will commit in exposing his blatant disregard against our rights and welfare! BIEN Philippines is calling to all presumed candidates, not only to Mar Roxas, that they should start looking at the real situation of BPO workers where contractualization and project-based employment are very rampant. Regulate the health and safety standards of the industry. Standardize the entry level salary to at least P25,000 a month. And Recognize the right of workers to unionize the BPO industry!
Posted By: Edrillan Pasion
