Presidential candidate and labor leader Leody De Guzman slammed anew the Department of Finance's (DOF) order to bring back employees onsite amid the pandemic.
He made the remarks as BPO workers were ordered back into workplaces in a return to office (RTO) scheme that took effect on April 1.
"Pinambabala tayo sa kanyon para sa diumanong 'economic recovery' ng bansa," said De Guzman in a statement.
(We are bullets in a cannon for what they said is for the ‘economic recovery’ of the country.)
"Ang sapilitang kautusang RTO ng Finance Department ay hindi makatwiran dahil napatunayan ng nagdaang dalawang taon na hindi naman naapektuhan ang produktibidad at operasyon ng mga kumpanyang nagpatupad ng iskemang work from home," he added.
(The mandatory RTO from the Finance Department is unreasonable because it has been proven over the past two years that productivity and operations of companies implementing work from home are not affected.)
According to the labor leader, the DOF is only concerned for the revenue of real estate developers and infrastructure owners accommodating BPO workers, which saw losses as BPO companies implemented remote work.
"Ang dapat inaatupag ng gobyerno ay ang pagseseguro na kahit na naka-work from home ang mga manggagawa ay mahigpit na pinatutupad pa rin ang labor standards. Kaliwa't kanang reklamo ng mga BPO workers ang naitala mula nung Marso 2020 gaya ng hindi pagbayad ng overtime pay."
(The government should instead focus on ensuring that labor standards are upheld even if employees are working from home. There have been a lot of complaints from BPO workers since March 2020, such as not receiving overtime pay.)
He expressed support to call center workers, as well as the newly formed Alliance of Call Center Workers that push for the safety and welfare of employees in the sector.
"Nakikiisa ako sa lahat ng BPO employees sa buong kapuluan at binabati ko ang bagong-tatag na Alliance of Call Center Workers - ACW sa kanilang pagpupunyaging isulong ang kahilingan ng mga empleyado para sa kanilang kalusugan, kaligtasan at higit sa lahat, ang kanilang dignindad."
(I am one with all BPO employees across the country and I commend the newly established Alliance of Call Center Workers – ACW in their effort to advocate the wishes of employees regarding their health, safety, and most of all, their dignity.)
The labor leader previously expressed opposition to the RTO scheme, citing the dangers of bringing employees back amid the pandemic.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, however, previously attributed the order to the increasing vaccination rate among Filipinos, adding that the remote work arrangements were only support to be "temporary" amid the pandemic.
