Proteksyon ng BPO workers, hirit ni Lapid
August 18, 2023
PROTEKSYON NG BPO WORKERS, HIRIT NI LAPID
NAPAPANAHON na ang pangangalaga sa mga karapatan at pagbibigay ng proteksyon sa mga manggagawa sa Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry sa bansa.
Sa Senate Bill No. 2235 na inakda ni Senador Lito Lapid, sinabi nya na mas lumawak at malaking paglago ang naitala ng BPO industry sa bansa sa nakalipas na dalawang dekada.
Ayon pa kay Lapid, ang Pilipinas ang lumilitaw na global leader sa BPO sector dahil sa kilala ang mga Pinoy na mahuhusay sa trabaho, magiliw at mas mababa ang pasahod kumpara sa developed countries sa abroad.
Nakilala ang mga Pinoy sa buong mundo sa mataas na English proficiency level kaya mas pinipili ng BPO companies sa kanilang voice-based services, gaya ng customer support at tele marketing.
Inihayag pa ni Lapid na ang Pilipinas ay may 10-15% share sa global BPO marketkaya naman tinatayang nasa $30 billion bawat taon ang naiaambag nito sa ekonomiya o katumbas ng halos siyam na porsyento ng Gross Domestic Product ng bansa.
Naitala anya noong 2019 na mahigit sa 1.3 milyong Pinoy ang nagtatrabaho sa BPO industry at patuloy pa itong lumulobo sa 8 hanggang 10 porysento kada taon.
"Kahit na nagkaroon ng outbreak ng COVID-19 sa buong mundo, naging malaking tulong ang BPO industry sa pagbibigay ng trabaho at pagsulong ng ekonomiya ng bansa.
Sa kabila nito, sinabi ni Lapid na hindi pa rin anya nabibigyan ng sapat na proteksyon at pangangalaga ang mga karapatan ng BPO workers, lalo na't patuloy ang pagtaas ng demands at nakapako sila sa results-oriented industry.
Nais ni Lapid na maitakda ang praktikal at pantay-pantay na patakaran sa BPO industry para mabigyan ng sapat na proteksyon ang mga manggagawa at kapitalista nito.
"Kailangan natin na masiguro na may wastong pamantayan sa mga manggagawa sa BPO sector, kabilang na ang makataong pagtrato gayundin ang pagtiyak na may sapat na mga benepisyo, prebilihiyo at maaliwalas na working conditions sa mga kumpanya.
Bukod dito, mahigpit din na ipinagbabawal sa panukalang batas ang "understaffing" o "overloading" sa pagbibigay ng sapat na "ratio of BPO worker to client quota" o di kaya "quantitative targets".
Hirit din sa Lapid bill ang "regularization" ng BPO workers at patatagin ang karapatan nila sa "self-organization", lumahok sa "democratic exercises" at iba pa.
Sakaling ganap na maging batas, maaaring patawan ng parusa ang sinumang tao o kumpanya na lalabag sa mga probisyon nito, tulad ng pagbabayad ng P100,000 o pagkabilanggo ng hindi bababa sa 2 taon at hindi lalagpas ng higit sa isang taon o depende sa hatol ng korte.
LAPID PUSHES FOR THE PROTECTION OF BPO WORKERS’ RIGHTS AND WELFARE
It is time to protect the rights and welfare of workers in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in the country.
Senator Lito Lapid filed Senate Bill No. 2235 or BPO Workers' Welfare and Protection Act of 2023, which seeks to address the working conditions of BPO workers, estimated at 1.3 million Filipinos employed in 1,000 BPO companies in 2019.
"However, since its establishment in the country, the laws governing the BPO industry have not adequately adapted to meet its increasing demands, leading to various challenges. As a result, BPO employees find themselves at the mercy of a results-oriented industry," Lapid said.
"This situation exposes them to high levels of stress due to heavy workloads and stringent performance standards. They also face insufficient breaks and sudden changes in shift schedules. In an intensely competitive work environment, the health and safety of BPO employees have been compromised due to unrealistic expectations," he added.
Lapid noted that the BPO industry in the country has expanded and recorded great growth in the past two decades. The Philippines, he said appears to be the global leader in the BPO sector because Filipinos are known to be good at work, friendly and have lower wages compared to developed countries abroad.
Filipinos have been recognized around the world for their high English proficiency level, so they are preferred by BPO companies for their voice-based services, such as customer support and telemarketing.
"Even though there was an outbreak of COVID-19 around the world, the BPO industry has been a great help in providing jobs and promoting the country's economy," he said.
Despite this, Lapid said that the rights of BPO workers are still not given protection, especially as demands continue to increase and they are stuck in the results-oriented industry.
"We need to ensure that there are proper standards for workers in the BPO sector, including humane treatment as well as ensuring that there are adequate benefits, privileges and comfortable working conditions in companies," he said.
Under the bill, BPO companies shall be mandated to uphold the rights and benefits of their workers under the Labor Code.
"Abusive language, physical violence or any act which debases the dignity of a person shall not be used against the employee," the bill stated.
The measure will prohibit understaffing or overloading by ensuring that the "ratio of BPO worker to client quota or quantitative targets shall be such as to reasonably effect a sustained quality of service at all times without overworking the workers."
The bill also mandates the regularization of BPO workers and upholds their rights to "self-organization and participate in democratic exercises," among others.
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