Formal complaint filed
Members of the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN)-Cebu filed a formal complaint with the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) on Oct. 2.
They alleged that employees were compelled to report for work despite appeals to prioritize their safety and attend to their families in the aftermath of the earthquake.
“Multiple incidents of employees insisting on not reporting for work were met with notices-to-explain, administrative sanctions, loss of attendance incentives and benefits, among many retaliatory actions,” the group said in a statement.
Established in 2013, BIEN is a DOLE-accredited workers’ association representing BPO employees, with a nationwide membership of at least 4,000.
Industry response
Buddy Villasis, executive director of the Cebu IT/BPM ((Information Technology/Business Process Management) Organization (CIB.O) , declined to comment, saying he has yet to review the merits of the case and identify the companies involved.
CIB.O is the leading industry group representing the IT BPM sector in Cebu and Central Visayas.
John Kyle Enero, spokesperson of BIEN-Cebu, said the DOLE-7 had scheduled a dialogue with the concerned BPO officials on Oct. 6, Monday.
He said the complaint was based on their reports received by the group as well as those posted on social media.
Alleged incidents
One company, he added, told their agents to continue taking calls from clients instead of evacuating during the earthquake.
Enero alleged that another company blocked building exits to prevent employees from evacuating. He added that workers were later asked to sign a document prohibiting them from sharing their experience on social media.
Enero also observed that employees who had evacuated were instructed to return to their workstations after two hours, following assurances that the buildings had been declared safe after inspection.
Safety inspections
He questioned the validity of the inspections, saying it was unlikely they could be completed so quickly given that the Cebu IT Park buildings are all skyscrapers.
Enero said the group filed the complaint to prompt DOLE to investigate what he described as a practice of prioritizing corporate interests over employee welfare, and to push for policy reforms.
The group also urged that the 10 BPO companies be sanctioned in accordance with the law.
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