An anti-call center congressional privilege speech made me realize our call center agents in the Philippines need representation in Congress more than ever. There's no better time to elect representatives to our government's law-making body than now as our ranks continue to grow exponentially.
When I first heard about a call center agent party list group trying to get COMELEC approval for the 2010 elections, I scoffed at the idea because I saw no point in it. I considered call center work as privileged because it is exclusive to those who can pass stringent tests and keep up with the grind to be able to survive in it. Compensation is rewarding for those who have the personality and diligence. Certainly with such lofty status in our society, we won't need any legislative help from our government. However, today I changed my mind after reading this anti-call center speech by Rep. Raymond Palatino from the Kabataan Partylist group website. It opened my eyes how other sectors of our society treat our vocation with such indignity and relegating our work as second-class. As call center employees, we are the ones who power this multi-billion dollar industry. Even call center companies and our government would certainly agree to that statement. And by God, we should never let others marginalize us by treating our work as undignified.
The good party list rep's speech was full of stories about our work and how ghastly our situation inside our companies have been. However, truth of the matter is I didn't find anything inhuman about the type of work we do as he has pointed out. In my comment (pending approval) at the blog post, I indicated that while our situation is not perfect, the work we do is not meant for everyone and the demands of our type of work is no different from our counterparts elsewhere around the world.
It can also be noted that the speech delivered way back August 17 was lengthy and curiously detailed, it did not present a sentence of solution or at least an idea how Congress can act for the improvement of our call center employees. I think everyone would agree that such privilege to speak in front of our law-makers should at least contain something they can work on and NOT just implore our lower house to act. Sadly, its just how things are around Congress. Even demi-congressmen are imbeciles who are left to deliver non-sense without clear and concise solutions.
This is why I felt we as Philippine call center employees need true representation in Congress. Our numbers are in the hundreds of thousands and surely we can meet the 2% of total votes required to secure a seat in Congress next year. COMELEC requires party lists to represent a sector of society that is under-represented and marginalized. I really believe ours is both. If the professional "sabungeros" and gays feel they need to be represented, I'm doubly convicted we need it more. Surely everyone in the call center industry would agree that as our numbers continue to grow, we will definitely need credible persons to raise our concerns through our legislative branch of government.
12 comments here!:
FYI: In a move seeking to protect workers of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry from labor abuses, KABATAAN Representative Mong Palatino filed a bill right after the speech that would allow BPO workers to join and form unions, institutionalize an occupational safety and health policy, and ensure just compensation for BPO workers who attend work during non-working holidays.
House Bill 6921 or the BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act of 2009, Palatino said, seeks to ensure the welfare and protection of BPO workers and recognize of rights as provided by the Labor Code of the Philippines. Palatino also said his office has also been receiving a steady stream of reports and complaints on violations and abuses by BPO companies from call center workers.
http://kabataanpartylist.com/blog/house-bill-no-6921/
We don't want representation from people who have ties with activism nor do we appreciate anything from their ranks. We want our own as you obviously don't know how it feels to be like us.
The ability to unionize is part of our rights already and we don't appreciate nor see the sense of stressing this in Congress. Most major call centers provide good working conditions for our employees but there still room for improvement. Our salaries are skyrocketing and holiday pay is a small part of the big picture. I see the only possible are for improvement there is enforcement. The reports you get are just reports. You're good congressman surely is not working in a call center so I don't see he can fully defend our sector much less understand it.
Next elections, we should get our own. BTW, what happened to your House Bill??? Piled beneath the stack again huh? I haven't read anything about it but the way you have described it I don't see anything new.
Alam nyo maganda sana ang impression kung yung speech nung party list rep ay hindi pinalalabas na nakapa-salaula ng trabaho namin. Pati after-call-work ba naman? It just goes to show na alarmist kayo instead na magpakita kayo ng goodwill. I'm sure your congressman's speech could have done better if medyo maganda ang presentation ng trabaho namin kaso parang pinalalabas nyong mga slaves kami ng trabaho namin e.
To be fair, I've jusr read House Bill 6921 from the link you provided and again I'm dismayed that your congressman's bill does not present anything new. All of the sections under this house bill is a REDUNDANCY of existing labor laws that already enacted maybe even before you were born. So I don't believe he has justified any cause for our BPO employees. Sorry.
Kinain na ng sistema yan... hehe
I think I just wasted 10 minutes of my break reading 6921. If there was only a way to petition junking this garbage I think I would be doing. However, seeing this bill bill lacks substance I will just let it pave way to its own demise.
Let's not waste our precious congressmen's time in discussing this piece of BS. Mas maganda siguro kung pumunta na lang sila sa laban ni Pacquiao... lol
Oddly enough, kayo lang ang kontra sa isang Magna Carta for Call Center and other BPO workers. Kabataan has received overwhelming support from thousands of grassroots call center agents who want to ensure their rights and welfare in BPO workplaces. Ano ba kayo, sugo ng mga call center bosses? Kasi sila lang naman ang may ayaw nito eh.
Contradicting ang mga sinasabi nyo. The very fact that you seek representation in Congress is a manifestation of the need to improve the working conditions of BPO workers.
The reason why we seek representation in Congress is because we want to able to present Congress with solutions and ideas within our ranks and not portray our work as ghastly.
While I may no longer be a call center agent, my thoughts are with my people and while you may say some are against the so called magna carta for CC, I doubt they are the majority.
We are not minions of managers, I AM THE MANAGER.
I don't want to sound like a broken record but you didn't seem to understand my point. You're party list rep DID NOT present anything with substance in the speech and especially the bill he proposes. Read up on the next post.
And just because you get reports/complaints from your so-called grass roots call center agents, it doesn't mean you fully understand our nature of work to raise a house proposal. Think of it this way, does HB 6921 present anything new apart from what is already stated in the Labor code? Does it propose a creative idea that can impact our sector?
"Hear our complaints BUT listen to ideas"
I think describing it as ghastly it stretching it. We did not intend that. In order to justify the creation of legislation in order to ensure the rights of BPO workers, one needs to expose the problems that need solutions. Painting the picture as rosy and bright will not convince other congressmen to support the measure.
The reiteration of labor standards in HB 6921 is meant to reinforce laws that are not being followed in a number of BPO companies. HB 6921 also has a provision ensuring that workers will be given the venue to learn and be aware of their rights and welfare. It also has provisions on medical benefits, transportation services, etc. It also has a catch-all provision that if ever some companies are already offering more benefits than the standard, HB 6921 must not be construed to diminishing those endowed rights.
If you wish to contribute constructively in this effort, you're welcome to attend committee hearings and technical working groups. We will even invite you as resource person among others. I personally don't see the reason behind your negative badmouthing.
@anonymous
If your goo party list rep does not agree that his portrayal is ghastly, then right then and there he doesn't understand an inkling of what we go through. If he can portray it like that, the I CAN IMHO describe his speech as ghastly.
You know, there is a saying that there's always a nice way to say anything. Unfortunately, he stuck with the negatives and didn't stress enough of the positives. If painting the situation troublesome is how you convince people, then that's part of your politics. I certainly don't agree to it.
Reiteration doesn't make any sense because the law is already there. How can you reiterate a law with another law? it doesn't make sense. Okay, another idea came up to mind mind, I hope you're taking notes. Instead of this HB 6921, why don't you ask the president to create an executive order that will provide stricter enforcement of existing labor laws for the BPO workers. Provision that a special representative be sent to companies to monitor their compliance with the labor code. This is what is needed to solve the enforcement problem and NOT another redundant law. Keep it simple and lessen your grandstanding.
While it does make sense to provide a venue for BPO employees to get familiar with their rights, I think it should already be a given. An enforcement problem again not legislative. I see you have provisions with medical but I don't see anything different from it compared to the corresponding stipulations in the labor code. Your proposal for transportation is "nice". And if I also had to be nice about this situation is I can consider this part unique. However, I don't see enacting this into law can make a big impact on our majority.
I don't see my efforts in raising awareness for HB 6921 as badmouthing. In fact, I'm probably doing you a good favor by discussing this to my call center audience. This blog is more widely read than your website so I think I've done a good deed. We are not about to shoot down your bill proposal "baby" but rather create awareness of its lacking in substance so call center people can contribute.
I thank you for your invite, you may email me directly should you wish to consult me.
"Hear out complaints but listen to ideas"
Hay nako itong mga actibistang ito o...
Mga bata pa kayo totoy at nene. Bago kayo kumilos siguraduhin nyo namang maayos nyong pinag-isipan ang mga balakin nyo bago talumpati sa kongreso. Huwag kayo magaling at huwag nyo i-konsiderang nakakatulong kayo sa amin sa pag-katha nitong kalokohang ito.
Ako meron akong ideya para sa ika-uunlad namin pero di ko na sasabihin baka magamit pa nila totoy at nene. :)
I agree with Call Center Blogger. people won't understand call centers unless they are working in one. Most people see that working in a call center is not a real job. But like any other job, it is a real job. If we can get representation in congress to make the lives of call center agents better, then why not?
Post a Comment
Hi! Thanks for reading this post. I hope this has enlightened you in someway about the call center industry. I appreciate your gesture of wanting to leave a comment for any purpose. However, if you are leaving a question for me, please click to subscribe to the comments feed here or to my blog feed here so my reply along with all the reader comments can be stored on your browser bookmarks for your easy access.
I also encourage you to connect with me through the following popular social networks so we can better interact with one another! :)
1. Call Center Blogger Facebook Page
OR
2. Call Center Blogger Twitter Page
Thank you for reading again and I hope you enjoyed this call center blog as much as I enjoyed writing on it. Feel free to contact me at callcentervet@gmail.com. Godspeed.
Reminder: If you leave a comment with an unrelated link or link designed to promote your website, it gets automatically deleted. Don't waste your time.
For the time being, NO COMMENTS will be published at this time due to idiot spammers who try to comment even with the warning above. For immediate concerns, email me.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.