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| WCSI Employees Candle Lighting Activity |
When I began working in this industry almost a decade ago, I knew there was something amiss. My skepticism to an industry perceivably devoid of substance— no thanks to its frivolous nature and aggrandizement kept me from wholly embracing it when I started. Straight from college where the street parliament and the defiance of a grim and determined were the ways and means particularly on a State U settings,
I got accustomed to the barefooted life of non-stop struggle and sacrifice. I was entering an uncharted territory then. I knew the culture that prevails and it will take a cultural turnaround to even dare think that somehow, the lifestyle by which this industry flourished can be injected with a jolt of activism. Yet, there wasn't turning back. And 10 years after, you can never stop dreaming!
Just over the weekend, my co-employees made history in declaring ourselves the first unionized employees from a large-scale BPO company. We, the Unified Employees of West Contact Services, Inc. (UEWCSI) declared ourselves as the first to collectively position and function as a legit union—the significance of such resonates like a tidal wave right at the epicenter of the country's financial district. We have officially broken the barrier of the Sunshine Industry that is often maligned with cultural indifference and passiveness in front of grave employment abuse.
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| UEWCSI on the History and Challenges |
Right at the forefront of the battle are the BPO employees whose composition of varying professional background and expertise are fast emerging to be the economy's Créme de la créme. The oft-scrutinized peti-bourgeois whose knack for utter disregard to social upheaval now gawking on its own sad state of grave employment abuse. And what exactly is surprising about peti-b as a rah rah rah type of revolutionists? Awkward, eh? But all it has come to is the realization, that they, too, is susceptible to such unjust practice. Peti-B in general is self-styled, often the mark of coziness and entitlement. The pride and stigma that comes with it makes it more appealing like the wild card it always has been. Them coming out into the open to challenge the current order is an awe-inspiring scene that's truly unprecedented, something that makes this just cause as relevant as every other upheavals we've witnessed.
What was so groundbreaking about this feat?
The establishment of the union opens a lot of doors when it comes to employees' active participation in decision-making that allows the BPO Industry an economic environment where the massive bulk of its workforce get to lobby for its benefits as prevailing rules and regulations are created in such a one-dimensional way. For an industry that relies heavily on its workforces' voice, it was that ironic that these assets are often unused for its own protection and welfare—not to mention the alleviation of employment standards that is often dictated on a one-sided affair. What UEWCSI brought to the industry so far is a blueprint for neighboring BPO Centers to also collectively organize amongst themselves and become its representation to every policy-making endeavors— the unfortunate state of an industry that's influential yet devoid of such dynamism.
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| UEWCSI Executive Committee participating on a convention sponsored by UNI Global Union |
While these pioneering undertakings can be historically marked for its influencing effect, the struggle of engaging the industry's bigwigs equipped with cunning and devious corporate lawyers ready to dismantle any attempt for any burgeoning union power are the challenges posed for an inexperienced BPO union. Being the first has its own merit and its own onus. Be that as it may, as we are expected to struggle to grope the battles attached to unionizing, we are also expected to learn the ropes and eventually will bank on the calls for genuine demands for the ever-growing BPO Industry. The influx of support from BPO stakeholders, lawmakers and trade unions nationwide will lend its influence and organizational savvy and we can look forward on a day that a federation will emerge encompassing the entire BPO-IT Industry and the efforts we have put in UEWCSI will be the defining first blood of this so-called peti-b revolution.
FFUgay
