BPOs reject work-safety claims after Cebu quake

THE information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry association said companies accused of forcing their employers to work in the days after the Cebu earthquake should not have been named without prior investigation.

- By Justine Irish D. Tabile

The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said allegations about their treatment of workers have the potential to deter foreign investment in the industry.

In a statement on Thursday, IBPAP said it “denounces this irresponsible declaration by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region VII, which prematurely named companies without the benefit of impartial investigation or validation,” it said.

Asked to comment, Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said via Viber that according to his conversations with DOLE Region VII, the regional director “never mentioned any company names in the Senate hearing but only mentioned the number of companies.”

“In any case, let me stress that it is not and will never be a DOLE policy to put on the spot (or) embarrass any company complained of whatever the sector it belongs without the benefit of an impartial investigation.”

He said DOLE will conduct further verification of these IBPAP concerns.