CCAP Highlights New Labor Laws on its First General Membership Meeting for 2019

CCAP Highlights New Labor Laws on its First General Membership Meeting for 2019

These three new timely laws are now being observed in workplaces within and outside the industry.

Amid the continuous evolution of the contact center landscape in the country, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) has put the spotlight into three new legislations that are pertinent to both contact center firms and agents across the sector.

During its first General Membership Meeting for 2019, the organization brought Director Teresita Cucueco of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to discuss three timely legislations that are crucial to the local contact centers and agents.

“Please understand that we are doing our best to balance many things,” Cucueco said during her speech. “Workers are advocating for their rights, while the employers are telling us if they are hurting. We are finding that balance to implement what is right for all. That is where we stand as your government,” she added.

The general meeting focused on three legislations that are deemed timely and highly significant during these times:

Occupational Safety and Health Law
The Republic Act No. 11058, entitled ‘An Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof,’ aims to uphold overall safety of all employees in their respective workplaces especially during times of natural and man-made disasters that may pose risks to their overall beings.

This legislation mandates employers to provide a safe and healthy workplace to protect their workers’ rights, which include getting information about various hazards, getting orientations about safety procedures, and refusing to report to work when the working environment becomes unsafe. This was observed by most of CCAP’s member-companies during the recent earthquake that hit Luzon.

“The industry has always been investing in the safety and health of our employees,” said CCAP President Jojo Uligan. “There are a lot of health and wellness programs, safety trainings and drills. We are investing in equipment and infrastructure to make sure our agents are safe from the effects of earthquake, fire, or typhoon. We really send them out of offices and only when it is declared safe that we let them go back to their workstations.”

The Telecommuting Law
The Republic Act No. 11165, or the “Telecommuting Act” gives way to an alternative working arrangement in the private sector wherein an agent is allowed to work in another workplace other than the usual workstation of the company. It requires the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies.

Though still in the early phase (it was implemented in April 2019), Telecommuting in the sector requires mutual consent between the agent (a volunteer) and the contact center firm. “The employer and employee in the telecommuting program shall set mutually agreed policies to cover important factors like eligibility, code of conduct, performance assessment measures, observance of data privacy policy, and appropriate alternative workplaces,” Cucueco emphasized.

Moreover, employers are also mandated to accord fair treatment to agents who will volunteer and who will be approved to be part of such a program. “Such employees must be given the same treatment as those working at the company premises,” Cucueco said.

Expanded Maternity Leave Law
The Republic Act No. 11210 or Expanded Maternity Leave Law is a welcome amendment to the previously existing law covering maternity leave for working wives and mothers. This legislation extends the maternity leave accorded to working mothers to 105 days along with an option to further expand this leave to 30 more days without pay. It also grants an additional 15 days of leave for single mothers (all regardless of civil status).

The maternity leave will be rendered with full payment in every instance of pregnancy. Full payment will be provided for 60 days for every instance of miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy. Moreover, there is an option to allocate up to seven days of leave to the child’s father (apart from the usual paternity leave).

This new law is obviously warmly welcomed by attendees of the general meeting, especially those who are married and are working moms. As for the employers, there is a safety net provided by the law to exercise legal rights in case an employee abuses this benefit mandated by the law.