Solon urges probe on call center agent's death

A party-list representative urged Congress to investigate the death of a call center agent reportedly due to stress from work, saying working conditions in call centers may be putting the health of Filipino workers at risk. Radio station dzBB reported Saturday that Akbayan Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros expressed concern over the alleged stress-induced death of Dingdong Flores, a call center agent. "The proposed inquiry is not meant to antagonize call centers but should ensure that decent working conditions are maintained in an industry that's employing more than 100,000 Filipinos," she said. She added: "It is a very stressful job, especially to those who take the graveyard shifts. This is why despite the competitive wages being offered by call centers, the burnout rate is very high." Hontiveros also called on the Department of Labor and Employment to check the conditions in call centers. "They have to provide benefits beyond what's being offered by existing labor laws. Since the work hours do not follow our body clock, they should be allowed to have more rest time and frequent medical checkups," she said. She said call centers should have 24-hour doctors in their clinics to attend to emergencies and develop support mechanisms to combat stress. She said the benefits and monetary compensations would never be enough. "We should understand that the nature of the job itself is stressful. Therefore, the strategic solution is to find other sources of work for our workers and for young Filipinos," she said. Hontiveros said Flores reportedly died after suffering from hypertension while at work. He reportedly went into coma before being taken to a hospital. Hontiveros said the incident should send a strong warning to the government. "It goes to show that we are exposing a generation of Filipinos to a working environment that is neither decent nor humane. This means that we cannot rely on the call center industry to provide jobs to Filipinos," she said. Researchers at the Baguio City-based Notre Dame Hospital earlier looked into medical problems that appeared to be common among call center employees. The hospital is said to be treating everyday 10 to 14 call centers agents from the Baguio City Economic Zone, for various health complaints. Meanwhile, a research made by the United Kingdom’s Health and Safety Executive posted on Wikipedia showed that a potential 30 percent of its 1 million call center employees could be suffering from acoustic shock. Wikipedia defines acoustic shock as a “sudden spike of noise" experienced as a work-related hazard by at least one million call center operators worldwide. It says acoustic shock can lead to physical problems such as as tinnitus or a “whooshing sound" and emotional problems, such as anxiety and depression.-GMANews.TV