BPO Industry Employees Network
(BIEN)
The Philippines
Over 1.8 million people in the Philippines are employed in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, providing call centre and digital services to some of the biggest multinationals in the world. Despite being a multi-billion dollar industry, workers in the BPO sector are poorly paid, Grueling hours, harassment, impossible to meet targets and job insecurity are facts of life for most BPO workers. These challenges have been compounded by COVID-19, resulting in tens of thousands of job losses and high rates of infection in the workplace.
BIEN (BPO Industry Employees Network) is the lone voice for workers in the sector, advocating for the safe conditions, job security and decent pay that BPO workers deserve. Supported by UnionAID, BIEN fearlessly organise BPO workers into local chapters, run campaigns, educate people on workers’ rights, and provide paralegal support to those unjustly treated.
Following a tragic building fire in 2016 that killed 36 BPO workers, BIEN was part of an alliance that successfully campaigned for stricter health and safety laws, as well as compensation for families of the deceased. BIEN won improved job security law changes in the city of Bagiuo for BPO workers and throughout Covid-19 has exposed unsafe conditions forced upon workers by some of the world’s biggest companies.
UnionAID has partnered with BIEN for the next three years to provide them with the resources they need to advocate for better working conditions, exercise their right to freedom of association, and ensure secure and decent jobs for BPO workers in the Philippines.
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Go BIEN: Catchy Campaigns Attract Members
Who would have thought serenading the government with a Christmas carol about pay and conditions for call centre members would be a useful campaigning tool? But this has been just

Building Power in the Philippines Call Centre Industry
Increasing repression of trade unions and COVID-19 restrictions have not stopped staff at BIEN in the Philippines continuing to build the power of call centre workers. Eight workshops with these

UnionAID supports democratic, worker-led organisations that help empower working people to improve their work and livelihoods through collective action.
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