BPO agents slam on-site work order, want dialogue with DOLE

A group of call center workers over the weekend expressed their opposition to government’s mandate for business process outsourcing (BPO) firms to fully return to office in April, citing health and safety risks.

According to the Inter-Call Center Association of Workers, the government should consider the gradual return to the workplace two years after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“Even before the pandemic, if one BPO employee gets a cough or cold, in a day or two, someone else will show similar symptoms due to infection,” the group said in a statement.

“Headsets too are sometimes shared among employees and are another way by which COVID-19 might be easily transmitted in a 100% fully operational scenario,” the statement added.

The Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) earlier rejected requests of firms to extend remote work arrangements beyond March 31, 2022, and workers should return to on-site duties starting April 1, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it will continue to push for the work-from-home scheme for information technology and business process outsourcing firms in economic zones, and it will appeal the FIRB decision.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III clarified that firms can continue to operate on work-from-home arrangements, but they will lose their tax incentives.

With the decision, firms in economic zones which fail to comply will not be able to enjoy fiscal incentives such as tax income holidays and a 5% tax on gross income earned.

The Inter-Call Center Association of Workers on Sunday called on Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to initiate a dialogue with BPO workers, to come up with a solution for the issue as they said they were not consulted in the order.

“In contrast to the FIRB and DOF position, we believe that safety committees, with employee representation, are in the best position to evaluate safety in our workplaces and recommend a safe full [return to office] or to maintain the present hybrid setup — not a government that ignores real-life conditions,” it said.

“Alternatives to a full return to office by April 1 can be considered such as 50% to 75% of BPO workers returning to the office and implementing a compressed work week while maintaining the work from home or anywhere for the rest of the week,” it added.

Earlier, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) also proposed a similar gradual transition, noting that employees have an “overwhelming” preference for a hybrid work arrangement. —LBG, GMA News