Group calls on gov’t to aid laidoff BPO workers

BPO workers hold vigil vs illegal closure

Press Release

January 12, 2014

Inter-Call Center Association of Workers (ICCAW)

A BPO workers association called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to assist some 120 call center workers who have been laid off after the abrupt and alleged illegal closure of their company. Workers of Leadamorphosis, a BPO company in Cebu City, have been on vigil outside their office since Friday to stop management from running away with company assets. Tomorrow the BPO workers are planning a protest action to highlight their plight and demands.

“The DOLE should immediately come to the aid of Leadamorphosis workers and resolve their grievances. DOLE should hold Leadamorphosis management accountable for its violations including illegal shutdown and runaway shop. Also the bond put up by Leadamorphosis must be disbursed ASAP to defray the unpaid salaries of its workers,” asserted Rosie Hong, an officer of the Inter-Call Center Association of Workers (ICCAW). ICCAW is an industry-wide association of BPO workers and has a chapter among Leadamorphosis employees.

Leadamporphosis workers only received 30% of their wages due for December 15 to 31, 2013 while none of the mandatory deductions for the last quarter of last year have been remitted. Leadamorphosis also did not submit any required notices with DOLE for bankruptcy, insolvency, redundancy or closure.

The DOLE required BPO companies to put up cash bonds equivalent to one month of salaries and benefits of its total workforce. The regulation was set up after the experience of the hasty shutdown of the Cebu City-based BPO company Direct Access that left some 600 employees with unpaid wages, commissions, overtime pay and separation benefits.

Marnick Unabia, one of the Leadamorphosis workers, explained that “We will hold a vigil outside Leadmorphosis until management dialogues with us in good faith and resolve our grievances. In particular we ask CEO and owner Paul Steven Flannery and vice president Kirk Nethercott to explain the true situation of the company.”

Hong also appealed to the Call Center Association of the Philippines and the BPO Association of the Philippines to exert moral suasion on Leadamorphosis management to heed the demands of their workers.

Leadamarphosis handles voice and non-voice outbound calls for US clients. The company was formerly called Vector whose corporate officers still comprise Leadamorphosis. In June of 2013 it merged with another BPO company called Sasnet which handled non-voice marketing for home security gadgets.