Press Release
May 29, 2013
A group of call center workers are complaining of
underpayment of wages and non-payment of benefits against their former employer
which they have lambasted as a “BPO sweatshop.” Six ex-employees of the Ortigas-based
E-Global International Communications, Inc. filed cases at the National Labor
Relations Commission last May 20 for violations of labor standards including
illegal dismissal.
Jiaffy Domingo, one of the call center agents, declared that
“We were paid only P200 a day for the five months that we worked at E-Global.
Further we received no overtime pay, holiday pay, rest day premium, service
incentive leave, 13th month pay and cost of living allowance.” The
statutory minimum wage in Metro Manila stands at P456. Aside from Domingo, the
complainants are Janice Bicera, Rissa Joy R. Ricafrente, Maricel Gatoc, Bryan
Dango and Walter Dango. The last three worked for around two months in the
company before all six were illegally dismissed in February this year.
Today several of the E-Global workers are filing cases at
the Social Security System with the assistance of the militant Partido ng
Manggagawa (PM). PM national chair Renato Magtubo averred that “E-Global is
evidently an e-sweatshop no different from the abusive conditions in an illicit
garments subcontractor, for example. A sunshine industry and dollar earning sector
like the BPO should have no room for sweatshops. It behooves the Department of
Labor and Employment to strictly regulate this fast growing industry in the
interest of more than 600,000 workers since E-Global is not the only BPO sweatshop
around.”
According to its website (http://eglobalcom-inc.com/about.html),
E-Global’s President and CEO is Eugene C. Go and is a subsidiary of the
American TESOL Institute in the Philippines ,
“operating and serving its call
center requirements and providing the highest quality BPO provisions.” Its corporate address is the prestigious Suite 701Pacific Center
Building , No. 33 San Miguel Aveneue, Ortigas Business
Center in Pasig City
In Cebu , PM had helped workers
who have fallen victim to illegal terminations by similar BPO sweatshops and
fly-by-night call centers. In July last year, some 600 employees were laid off
overnight when their employer, the Cebu City IT Park Asiatown-based Direct
Access, abruptly shutdown. After a few months of protests, the Direct Access
workers got their money claims and separation pay.
As a result of the labor disputes in Cebu ,
the Inter-Call Center Association of Workers (ICCAW) was formed as an
organization for mutual aid and protection and to represent members regarding specific
grievances and general concerns.
No comments:
Post a Comment