Call Centers Exploit Filipino Workers, says Militant Group

By Mark Ivan Roblas, The Manila Times

Despite the lucrative benefits and fat salaries, call centers in the Philippines have become “air-conditioned hubs for exploiting workers.”

This was said on Thursday by the Kilusang Mayo Uno as it denounced the government for endorsing the call-center industry at the extent of prodding government workers looking for higher wages to transfer to the industry.

Prestoline Suyat, spokesman for the KMU, said call-center agents in the country are paid P15,000 ($293) a month while in the United States, where most of the call-center firms originated, they are paid $4 an hour, or P40,000 ($782) a month.

“With the same amount of work, our call-center workers are receiving a lot less. This cost-saving measure means greater profit for the business process outsourcing like the call-center industry but translates to greater exploitation for poor countries like the Philippines,” he said.

Suyat said the salary received by call-center agents falls short of the P19,950 monthly cost of living.

“When every price skyrockets every day, wage erosion eats the hard-earned money of the workers,” he said.

Suyat said highly skilled and educated Filipinos work under poor working conditions in the guise of a high-paying job.

He said call centers, instead of uplifting the nation, have even stunted the economic growth of the country.

“Call centers do not contribute to industrializing the country and yet the President is wholesaling the best graduates of education, mathematics, and even engineers from best schools to be telephone operators,” Suyat said.

He slammed President Arroyo for urging government employees to voluntarily retire to become call-center operators.

“How can middle aged or retirable employees work in call center when the industry work schedule means working during graveyard shifts?” Suyat said.