House probe sought on issues related to work-from-home setup during COVID-19 crisis

Members of the House Makabayan bloc have filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the issues related to work-from-home arrangement implemented in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

House Resolution 997, filed on Monday, directs the House Committee on Labor and Employment to conduct the inquiry into the matter in aid of legislation.

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— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) June 23, 2020

In calling for the probe, the Makabayan lawmakers cited the case of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, which has shifted to a work-from-home arrangement following the stay-at-home protocols from the government.

"Work-from-home does not figure in the long-term plans of some of the BPO firms in the country, particularly Paris-based Teleperformance, due to unreliable Internet connections and unstable electricity supplies," they said.

At the same time, they said that the shift to work-from-home, while desirable for employees during the COVID-19 crisis, "also comes with a slew of challenges to decent work and labour rights."

Citing information from the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN), the lawmakers said among that challenges faced by BPO employees during work are the lack of logistical assistance such as delivery of equipment, longer working hours for workers to make up for "low productivity", unpaid wages due to poor Internet connections, and unjust sanctions to employees due to technical problems.

"Decent work standards, protection of labor rights and sustainability of jobs need to be at the heart of our country's resiliency program to combat the pandemic and its economic consequences," the lawmakers said.

"The flexibility that work-from-home enables can be optimized for the benefit of the economy and business without compromising the rights and welfare of employees," they added.

The members of the Makabayan bloc are Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro, Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago. —LDF, GMA News