(MANILA BULLETIN)

House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar has filed a bill that would protect local business process outsourcing (BPO) workers from the "abusive language" of their employers, among other things.

Villar filed for this purpose House Bill (HB) No.9342, or the proposed BPO Workers' Welfare and Protection Act of 2023.

The Nacionalista Party (NP) stalwart says the measure mandates the fair and kind-hearted treatment of all workers in the outsourcing industry.

“With the importance of the BPO industry in the Philippine economy, it is but fitting to establish standards to ensure the safety, well-being and rights of employees working in the BPO sector," Villar said.

"BPO workers, who are often working night shift hours and sacrificing their health and time for their families, need protections like occupational health and safety, work-life balance, fair compensation, anti-discrimination, medical and health benefits, transportation perks, and right to self-organization,” she enumerated.

The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines has said the industry’s workforce could reach 1.7 million this year. Revenues are expected to hit $35.9 billion or P2 trillion this 2023.

“It is imperative to treat the BPO worker in a just and humane manner and ensure that all the rights and benefits of BPO workers are provided for and accorded to them as mandated by the Labor Code. Abusive language, physical violence or any act which debases the dignity of a person shall not be used against the employee," she said.

Under the bill, BPO companies are prohibited from compelling an employee to pay a company bond and to impose an unreasonable or exorbitant fee to be paid by the employee upon leaving the company before a specified length of time or before the end of his or her contract.

It added that all workers of the BPO industry shall be protected from discrimination by reason of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, color, religion, political, or other opinion, national, social, or geographical origin, disability, property, birth, civil status, pregnancy, physical characteristics or disability, or other status as established by human rights standards.

They shall be considered as regular workers after completion of the six-month probationary, training or apprenticeship period.

Their normal work hours shall not exceed eight hours a day, and they shall render work for not more than six consecutive days per week. They cannot be terminated except for just and authorized causes as provided under the Labor Code.

Any BPO company which will be found guilty of violating the prohibitions states in the measure shall be punished with a fine of not less than P100,000 and/or imprisonment of not less than two months but not more than one year, or both, at the discretion of the court.