More protection for call center agents proposed

Former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her son, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo, have filed a bill demanding more protection for the over 400,000 business process outsourcing (BPO) workers nationwide. “This bill aims to better protect the interests and welfare of the workers in the BPO industry. It is in the interest of the BPO companies themselves to protect their workers who are their most important resource," the younger Arroyo said in a statement Thursday. The lawmakers filed House Bill 5218, or the Magna Carta for Call Center Workers, enumerating the rights of call center employees late last month. He said he filed the bill because call center workers are regularly exposed to “high levels of stress," making it more imperative to protect their mental and physical well-being. The BPO industry, described as the country’s “sunshine industry," accounted for $5.7 billion in the country’s revenues last year. BPO workers' rights The measure mandates all call center companies to provide their employees a one-hour continuous meal break for every eight-hour shift. Under HB 5218, BPO companies are also required to provide a “comfortable resting area within the employer’s premises" where employees working in the night shift can stay until daybreak to ensure their safety. The bill also prohibits BPO industries from monitoring personal phone calls of their employees. The measure also stipulates that call center workers can organize and join labor unions to ensure that all their rights are being protected. The lawmakers also proposed a BPO Help Desk in all national and regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to advise employees on the terms of their contracts. HB 5218 is currently on first reading at the House of Representatives. It will have to pass committee and plenary deliberations in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before it can be signed by the President into law. — Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News