If elected Roque to push for BPO workers’ rights
Philippine senatorial candidate Harry Roque said he will reintroduce and lobby the Magna Carta for Call Center Workers Act if he wins a seat the Senate.
In a statement, Roque stressed the key role of the BPO sector during the pandemic, stating that they are contributing millions of dollars into the economy.
Senate Bill 2604 “Magna Carta for Call Center Workers Act” seeks to ensure the right of all employees to self-organization, collective bargaining and negotiations, and peaceful concerted activities, including the right to strike following law.
Further, the bill states that call center workers should have the right to a safe and healthy working environment, minimum of one-hour continuous meal break every eight-hour shift, privacy on personal phone calls, stay in a comfortable area for employees working in night shift, and be informed of the terms of their contract.
The Philippines is among the Top 5 outsourcing countries in 2021. According to a report by the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the sector generated $27.6 billion in revenue in 2020 and opened 1.3 million direct jobs.
Moreover, the BPO sector contributed 4.08 million indirect jobs in various support industries and promoted countryside development.
In 2010, the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago proposed the Magna Carta for Call Center Workers Act. In the lower house, former Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado M. Arroyo, filed a counterpart bill in 2011. In the 17th Congress, Manila 3rd District Rep. John Marvin C. Nieto and Manila 4th District Rep. Edward Vera P. Maceda filed a similar bill which was not passed into law.
