Stricter regulations for BPOs sought

CEBU, Philippines - A group of call center workers has asked the Cebu City government to impose stricter regulations on Business Process Outsourcing companies in the city.

Officials of the Inter Call Center Association of Workers sent a letter dated August 22, 2014 to Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella seeking assistance on matters of grave concerns among BPO employees in the city.

"We believe that your office together with the officials of the City Council is part of the big solution of the problem we are about to rise," the letter read.

ICCAW vice president for external affairs Sylvio Dorig  Jr. said, in the letter, the closure of many BPO companies in the city has abruptly affected thousands of call center workers.

He cited the companies that stopped operating in the past three years like the Cordia Philippines, Direct Access Corporation, Leadamorphosis, and Blue Connect.

"The following are well known because it landed on the media, but there are a lot more that closed unnoticed by the public with the same offense against their workers," he said.

To avoid further incidents like these, Dorig said that the association proposed to the city government to require BPO operators to post a bond before allowing them to operate in the city.

"The proposed bond must approximate at least two months salary of all its total employees. The bond will be used to compensate the wages and separation pay of their employees if ever the said company decides to close," he said, adding that the proposal has gained massive support among BPO employees.

"They left their employees with paying their last salaries, their separation benefits and government remittances. And the worst part is that after several months, we would find these companies on another location doing BPO business again with impunity," he added.

Dorig said that the association wants to discuss the matter with the city councilors during its regular session.

The Office of the Vice Mayor has submitted the copy of the letter to the secretariat to include it in the calendar of business in the next regular session.

Meanwhile, Labella said there are different foreign cities attracted to the efficiency of the BPO employees in the Philippines during the 18th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) held at Xiamen, China last September 8 to 11.

"There was a proposal of an online marketing of our BPOs which I also agreed," he said, adding that the city government will be working on it.

Also, the City Council wanted stress management institutionalized in the human resource programs of BPO companies operating in the city.  (FREEMAN)