MANILA - A lawmaker has called for a House inquiry into business process outsourcing companies that required employees to report for work during last week's monsoon rains.
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino filed House Resolution No. 2677, directing the Congressional Committee on Labor and Employment to look into what he described as "unfair" labor practices of BPO companies.
In requiring their workers to report for duty, BPO firms "endangered the rights of vulnerable employees," the legislator said, adding that the industry's hundreds of thousands of personnel "are not waterproof."
Last week, some BPO companies drew flak after requiring employees to report to work despite the heavy monsoon rains and rising waters, insisting the private sector does not take orders from the government.
Palatino said there is a need to check if the work policies of BPO firms run counter to the "human and labor rights of their employees," especially since the industry is the "fastest growing component of the services sector employing thousands of Filipinos."
"BPO companies are not exempt from labor laws of the state. However, legislators need to ensure that there are ample safeguards in our labor laws that would ensure the safety of those working in the BPO sector," the lawmaker said.
Amid the calamitous four straight days of heavy monsoon rains in Manila last week, Malacanang decided to suspend work in private offices on Tuesday as flood waters continued to rise in many parts of the nation's capital.
Business Process Association of the Philippines president Benedict Hernandez said workers in the BPO sector can't be forced to report to work if they are unable to, but stressed the need for critical services to be up and running even at the height of disasters.
Hernandez also pointed out that in the many years that BPO firms have been operating in the country, the government has allowed the companies to decide on work suspensions during inclement weather.
Malacanang stressed that if BPO employees are still required to work despite heavy rains and floods, employers must provide safeguards to ensure workers' safety and survival.
"If your employer insists that you go to work, they must be able: (1) to guarantee your safety and (2) pay extra for your attendance,” Palace deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said through her Twitter account.
source: interaksyon.com
