LTFRB, private groups sign Philippine call center labor safety agreement

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the BPO Workers Association of the Philippines (BWAP) and EACOMM Corporation on Wednesday, April 30, to provide safer road travel conditions for more than 800,000 business process outsourcing (BPO) workers in the country.

With Philippine call center agents regularly using public modes of transportation late in the evening or predawn, the three organizations inked the safety pact to arm BPO workers against potential harm from abusive drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) such as jeepneys, buses, and taxis.

The BWAP Text for Safety project has created a centralized database where BPO workers can store their commuting history. All it takes is a text message detailing the information about the vehicle and the driver along with the commuter's name sent to 0927 BWAP 933 (0927 2927 933). If the worker gets involved in an accident or criminal act such as robbery or sexual abuse, he or she can request the stored information from BWAP and report the incident to LTFRB.

"If the driver is discourteous, if the bus is out of line, or if the taxi driver is overcharging, send us the complaint and we will attend to the problem," BWAP President Ruben Torres explained. A confirmation text will be sent to the complainant after sending the information.

Although BWAP's main concern is the safety of the numerous Philippine call center workers in the country, the Text for Safety service is available to anyone who publicly commutes in the Philippines.

IT solutions provider EACOMM Corporation also offers the Trip Barker, an Android app that provides road navigation services and lets users share weather and traffic reports. Like Text for Safety, Trip Barker's feature called Bark It! allows users to post road safety reports and complaints, which can be forwarded later to LTFRB, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), and other government agencies.

The LTFRB promises to partner with other government agencies to come up with new policies that would guarantee the safety of commuters, especially BPO workers.

LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez said that the board is also open to coordinate with private groups in combining resources for the benefit of the riding public.

Open Access BPO is an outsourcing firm in Makati, Philippines that provides top-notch business solutions including call center, non-voice, and back office services to clients worldwide. Learn more about us by visiting our official website or our Google+ page.