With more and more call center jobs are moving back to the United States, those people remaining abroad who have a job in a contact center are being urged to take action in order to keep their livelihood. In the Philippines, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is advising workers they should actually form unions, in order to take advantage of full benefits as well as protect their welfare.
“I encourage yuppies, particularly those in call centers, to join or create unions so they can have a voice in their work,” said Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions --Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) in a statement, according to the Inquirer.net. Seno said that through unions, workers can negotiate better pay and safe work environments. They can also get things like safe retirement packages and family oriented policies.
Of course the talk of unionizing is never greeted with much joy by the employers, and some will argue the timing of this kind of talk is a little off. Companies like Lowes are finding far more success inside the United States and that is making the work environment for the contact center employee outside the U.S. tenuous at best.
Still, Seno says call center workers are handling delicate jobs, especially ones who are doing their jobs right. This means they must be handled with a more delicate approach than employers have been doing recently. Seno also claims most employers no longer see unions as something inherently obstructionist and companies are much more willing to work with unions in order to put together a safe and healthy work environment.
The Philippines Congress seems to agree with Seno, considering they have filed what is called a Magna Carta for Call Center Workers. The bill would enforce the rights of contact center workers and would facilitate safe and healthy working environments.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson