BIEN - BGC

BIEN - BGC BIEN–BGC is a chapter of the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) based in Taguig’s central business district, Bonifacio Global City.

It brings together call center and IT-BPM workers in BGC to collectively defend our rights, safety, and welfare at work. BIEN started as an informal network with 13 call center agents. Encouraged by the bonds forged, with constant exchanges of BPO employees’ issues within the Industry, they asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice if there is a network where BPO employees can come together and create bonds like these?”

They have organized kapihans, online conversations to enjoin other BPO employees within & outside their workplaces including online networks. The first official meeting of BIEN as a network was on November 29, 2011 in Manila. With a larger number of BPO employee members from the country’s top call center companies, BIEN consistently expanded thru social interaction and network building. BIEN co-sponsored a series of consultation on labor & BPO related events; held meetings, fora & symposia of BPO employees; and accepted a partnership with a research institution, EILER and UP Solaire. As its network and membership expanded its number to a 1000 (*online network and membership together), BIEN held its first General Assembly and elected the first Executive Committee on July 20, 2013. Months after the rigorous process of DOLE registration, BIEN officially became a duly certified BPO Employee Association on October 24, 2013. As it officially became an Industry-wide employee association, BIEN remained to be a close-knit network of BPO employees, by the employees, and for the employees.

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: THE PIZZA IS TEMPORARY. OUR COLLECTIVE POWER IS NOT.It’s Customer Service Week.BPO workers are be...
09/10/2026

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: THE PIZZA IS TEMPORARY. OUR COLLECTIVE POWER IS NOT.

It’s Customer Service Week.

BPO workers are being thanked with appreciation posts, games, giveaways—and the familiar pizza party.

But after the celebration ends, workers still face low wages, job insecurity, unsafe workplaces, and one fundamental question:

Can we organize without fear?

The experience of Alorica workers shows why freedom of association matters.

In a January 2026 Senate labor hearing, Alorica union members raised concerns about the company’s efforts to have their union dissolved and the subsequent termination of union officers. The affected workers have pursued legal remedies over these matters.

These are serious matters that must be addressed through proper investigation and due process.

But for BIEN BGC, the bigger question is:

Why should any BPO worker have to fear losing their livelihood for exercising their right to organize?

The right to self-organization is recognized under Philippine labor law. BPO workers—including workers in economic zones—are not excluded from the right to form, join, and assist labor organizations.

We have the right to organize.
We have the right to speak collectively.
We have the right to bargain collectively.

BIEN BGC SAYS:

✊ RESPECT FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION.

✊ NO UNION BUSTING OR INTERFERENCE WITH ORGANIZING.

✊ NO RETALIATION AGAINST WORKERS FOR LAWFUL UNION ACTIVITY.

✊ RESPECT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

✊ PROTECT THE RIGHT OF BPO WORKERS TO ORGANIZE.

PEZA status should not be used to make workers afraid to organize.

BPO WORKERS: ORGANIZE.

Talk to your co-workers.

Talk about the problems you face.

Know your rights.

Find out what a union can do.

Build connections with other workers.

And when workers organize, stand with them.

One worker can be ignored.

Organized workers can demand change together.

At BIEN BGC, we believe the problems BPO workers face—from wages and job security to OSH, AI, and workplace rights—cannot be solved by individual workers alone.

Our strength is collective.

So this Customer Service Week, enjoy the pizza if they give you one.

But when the party is over, the problems remain.

And so must our solidarity.

Talk. Organize. Unionize. Act.

Our fight for workers’ rights continues.

Zoom online dicussion: Oct 9, 2pm.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS SERIES:ON WAGES AND BENEFITS🎙️ Guest Speaker: Atty. Arman HernandoLabor and Human Rights LawyerRegister...
09/10/2026

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS SERIES:ON WAGES AND BENEFITS

🎙️ Guest Speaker: Atty. Arman Hernando
Labor and Human Rights Lawyer

Register here:
https://tinyurl.com/2ht9mbtf

Customer service work keeps businesses running, but too many BPO workers still have questions about what they are legally entitled to receive.

What are your rights when it comes to wages, overtime pay, holiday pay, service incentive leave, 13th month pay, and other statutory benefits? What should you do when these are delayed, denied, or improperly computed?

Know what the law provides. Know what your employer is required to give. Know your rights as a worker.

Join BIEN’s Know Your Rights Series this Customer Service Week.

📅 October 8, 2026
🕑 2:00 PM
💻 Via Zoom
🎙️ Guest Speaker: Atty. Arman Hernando
Labor and Human Rights Lawyer

Register here:
https://tinyurl.com/2ht9mbtf

Your work has value. Know what you are entitled to. Know your rights.

# # #

👉Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026

👉Join our Channel: https://www.messenger.com/channel/BIENPilipinas

👉Sign to support the Magna Carta for BPO Wokers: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-of-support-for-the-passage-of-the-magna-carta-for-bpo-workers-house-bill-5166

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: A PIZZA PARTY IS NOT A LIVING WAGEIt’s Customer Service Week.Once again, BPO workers are being ce...
07/10/2026

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: A PIZZA PARTY IS NOT A LIVING WAGE

It’s Customer Service Week.

Once again, BPO workers are being celebrated with appreciation posts, games, giveaways—and the familiar pizza party.

We appreciate the gesture.

But workers don’t live on appreciation. We live on wages.

The latest figures from IBON Foundation put the amount needed by a family of five to meet basic food and non-food needs at ₱1,309 per day as of August 2026—equivalent to about ₱39,270 over 30 days.

At the same time, the latest inflation figures show just how quickly the cost of living is moving. In September 2026, headline inflation reached 7.2%, while inflation for the bottom 30% of income households reached 9.0%.

For workers and families already struggling to make ends meet, rising prices mean that every peso of our wages buys less.

Food. Electricity. Transportation. Rent. Medicine. Education.

The cost of living does not wait for payday.

Yet BPO workers are still expected to survive on wages that fall short of what families actually need.

This is the reality behind the industry's celebrations.

We work the graveyard shift. We answer calls from around the world. We handle demanding customers. We meet productivity and quality targets. We endure constant monitoring and pressure. We work weekends and holidays.

We keep businesses operating around the clock.

We create value every day.

So this Customer Service Week, BIEN BGC stands with BPO workers in demanding:

₱1,200 DAILY / ₱36,000 MONTHLY

MINIMUM ENTRY-LEVEL WAGE FOR BPO WORKERS

This is not a demand for luxury.

It is a demand for a wage that gives workers a fighting chance to live with dignity.

A worker should not have to depend on excessive overtime, incentives, loans, or multiple jobs just to make ends meet.

Our labor creates wealth. Our wages should allow us to live.

And this fight cannot be left to individual workers.

Talk to your co-workers about your wages. Share your experiences. Know the real cost of living. Organize in your workplace. Build collective power and demand a living wage.

Because wages are not just numbers on a payslip.

They determine whether workers can eat properly, pay their bills, support their families, get to work, access healthcare, and live with dignity.

So this Customer Service Week, let us look beyond the celebration.

The question is not whether workers deserve a pizza.

The question is whether workers can afford to live after the pizza is gone.

₱1,200 DAILY. ₱36,000 MONTHLY.

MINIMUM ENTRY-LEVEL WAGE FOR BPO WORKERS.

The pizza is temporary.
Our needs are not.
Our labor creates the wealth.
We deserve a living wage.

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: THE PIZZA IS TEMPORARY. OUR SAFETY IS NOT.It’s Customer Service Week—time for appreciation posts,...
06/10/2026

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: THE PIZZA IS TEMPORARY. OUR SAFETY IS NOT.

It’s Customer Service Week—time for appreciation posts, games, giveaways, and pizza parties.

But OSH is not a celebration. It is a matter of life and death.

In 2017, 37 BPO workers died in the NCCC Mall fire in Davao, amid reported fire-safety lapses.

After the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu in 2025, BPO workers reported being forced to report or return to work despite ongoing aftershocks, with some facing disciplinary action. DOLE later ordered a work stoppage at one BPO over safety violations.

Then Typhoon Tino brought deadly flooding to Cebu, reminding us that workers also face danger simply getting to and from work during extreme weather.

And the Cyberpark Tower 2 fire in Cubao raised new concerns about evacuation and the safety of BPO workers.

These are not isolated incidents.

When disaster strikes, workers' lives must come before business continuity.

OUR OSH DEMANDS

✊ STOP WORK WHEN CONDITIONS ARE DANGEROUS.
Fire, earthquake, typhoon, flooding, or other imminent danger must trigger appropriate work suspension.

✊ NO RETALIATION FOR CHOOSING SAFETY.
Workers must not be punished for refusing unsafe work or being unable to safely report during disasters.

✊ SAFE EVACUATION, ALWAYS.
Emergency exits must be accessible, unlocked, unobstructed, clearly marked, and regularly checked.

✊ FUNCTIONAL SAFETY SYSTEMS.
Fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, emergency lighting, and other safety equipment must actually work.

✊ REAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.
Companies must have clear plans and regular drills for earthquakes, fires, typhoons, and floods.

✊ SAFETY OVER PRODUCTIVITY.
No SLA, attendance metric, incentive, or client demand is more important than a worker's life.

WHAT CAN WORKERS DO?

Talk to your co-workers. Check your exits. Know your emergency procedures. Document hazards when safe. Raise concerns collectively.

If management ignores serious safety risks, seek help from your union, worker organization, or DOLE.

Talk. Organize. Act.

The account can wait. The shift can be rescheduled.

A worker's life cannot be replaced.

Our safety is not a reward.
Our safety is a right.

Fight for Living Wage, Humane Working Conditions, and Job Security. JOIN BIEN!👉 Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026...
05/10/2026

Fight for Living Wage, Humane Working Conditions, and Job Security. JOIN BIEN!

👉 Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026
👉 Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026
👉 Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026
👉 Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026

BPO workers keep the industry running. We work nights, weekends, holidays, and long hours to keep businesses and global operations moving. Yet many of us still struggle with low wages, excessive workloads, insecure jobs, unfair policies, and workplaces that put profit before people.

We deserve better.

BIEN is a network of BPO workers fighting for living wages, humane working conditions, and job security. We believe BPO workers should have a strong voice in the workplace and the power to organize for real change.

If you are a BPO worker who wants to fight for ₱36,000 national entry-level wage, stronger job security, better working conditions, and genuine workers' rights, join us.

Don't face workplace problems alone. Organize with your fellow BPO workers.

Fight for a Living Wage.
Fight for Humane Working Conditions.
Fight for Job Security.
Fight for Workers' Rights.

JOIN BIEN. ORGANIZE. FIGHT BACK. WIN!

It's not one bad employer. It's a gap in the law.When we started collecting reports from BPO workers, we expected a few ...
05/10/2026

It's not one bad employer. It's a gap in the law.

When we started collecting reports from BPO workers, we expected a few repeating names. What we found was a pattern.

Workers from 174 different companies, handling 331 different accounts, described the same problems: floating, dismissal, layoffs, and pressure to resign. 129 of those companies appeared only once. Different employers, different clients, same story.

Some workers described being picked for unpaid floating month after month, with two to three days' notice, told it was "client mandated." Then hiring restarted on the same account. That is not a lack of work. It is a cycle that passes the cost of the client's decisions onto workers' wages.

Others reported things that don't even have a proper name:

🔸 Forced VTO two to three times a week, cutting hours like a quiet layoff
🔸 Cut-and-rehire while on medical leave, breaking tenure when workers are sick
🔸 Typhoon and earthquake absences counted against them
🔸 Metric and tool lockouts used to justify firing
🔸 SSS contributions unremitted for 20 months

In total, 665 reports from 639 workers. Behind each one is a person with bills that don't stop when work does.

That is why we are calling on Congress to pass the Prohibition of Floating Status and Protection of Employment Continuity Act. It would:

✅ Ban floating status, whatever the employer calls it, when the company keeps operating
✅ Require redeployment, retraining, and upskilling with wages, seniority, and benefits intact
✅ Stop employers from forcing workers to resign or reapply for their own jobs
✅ Close contracting and subcontracting loopholes, with the burden of proof on the employer

If your name is on the petition, lawmakers see more than a statistic. They see how many of us are watching.

✍️ Sign the petition (2 minutes):
https://forms.gle/RDhQuZoni6Kz89MN9

Sharing your story is optional. Your employer is never contacted, and your details are never shared with employers.

📣 Tag a co-worker. Share this post. Make it impossible to ignore.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: When is termination justified?Following the filing of illegal dismissal cases by Cognizant workers, di...
09/09/2026

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: When is termination justified?

Following the filing of illegal dismissal cases by Cognizant workers, discussions are making rounds questioning why workers would challenge their termination when management says an alleged violation was committed.

But a management decision is not the final word on a worker’s rights.

Under Article 294 of the Labor Code, regular employees are protected by security of tenure. An employer may terminate a worker only for a just or authorized cause.

More importantly, Article 292(b) expressly recognizes a worker’s right to contest the validity or legality of their dismissal before the NLRC. The burden of proving that the termination was for a valid or authorized cause rests on the employer.

In the Cognizant case, the workers are contesting the grounds and circumstances of their termination. They have every right to bring their cases before the NLRC and have them heard through the proper labor process. Exercising this right does not prevent management from enforcing workplace rules. It allows workers to challenge whether their termination was justified.

KNOW THE MANAGEMENT TACTIC: Who Benefits When Workers Turn on Each Other?

Workers should be wary when management narratives encourage us to turn against co-workers for asserting their rights. Today, we may think another worker deserves to be dismissed. Tomorrow, it may be our own case that management has already decided for us.

Know your rights. Question decisions you believe are unjust. Use the mechanisms available to you. Talk to your co-workers. Organize.

Huwag nating hayaang ang bersyon ng management ang maging final say sa karapatan ng manggagawa.

Facing a workplace issue? Organize with BIEN BGC:

👉Join BIEN BGC
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8yxSAVOysuzs8YC2EnQqRm5JHjvq9E9TOyc5fbqpebCC_8Q/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&usp=embed_facebook
👉Join our Channel: https://www.messenger.com/channel/BIENPilipinas
👉Sign to support the Magna Carta for BPO Wokers, SIGN HERE:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-of-support-for-the-passage-of-the-magna-carta-for-bpo-workers-house-bill-5166

Cognizant BPO Workers File Illegal Dismissal Charges Over SpoilersQuezon City, Philippines — September 7, 2026A group of...
07/09/2026

Cognizant BPO Workers File Illegal Dismissal Charges Over Spoilers

Quezon City, Philippines — September 7, 2026

A group of BPO workers from Cognizant filed illegal dismissal charges today at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. The workers allege that their termination was arbitrary and lacked clear basis.

The dismissed employees argue that the company’s decision highlights the lack of security of tenure in the BPO industry, where workers are vulnerable to sudden and unclear management actions. They claim their dismissal was not only unjustified but also reflective of systemic issues in the sector.

Labor group BIEN Philippines is currently mulling a strengthened version of the security of tenure law to address these concerns. According to Jumer Ola, president of BIEN BGC, “Workers face work insecurity because there is a lack of transparency in how management deals with clients, which directly affects tenure and employment.”

The BIEN BGC chapter has also called on other workers to report cases of illegal dismissal, emphasizing the need for collective action to protect employees from arbitrary management decisions.

DOLE Advisory Falls Short: BIEN Demands Criminalization of OSH Violations, Mandatory Paid Emergency Leaves, and Hazard P...
05/09/2026

DOLE Advisory Falls Short: BIEN Demands Criminalization of OSH Violations, Mandatory Paid Emergency Leaves, and Hazard Pay During Severe Weather

BIEN acknowledges DOLE's Labor Advisory No. 14-26, reiterating that workers should not face penalties if unable to report to work due to imminent danger from weather disturbances. While this provides an affirmation of workers' rights, BIEN maintains that DOLE’s advisory is insufficient to protect private sector workers, especially BPO workers from corporate greed during severe weather events.

Year after year, typhoon-induced flooding and extreme weather expose workers to various hazards. Yet, this advisory continues to rely on "management prerogative" and voluntary measures, leaving workers’ safety at the mercy of employers, whom have proven time and time again to prioritize profit over the lives of their workers.

BIEN calls on DOLE to go beyond mere advisories and implement binding mandates.

First and foremost, DOLE must criminalize companies that violate OSH protocols, forces workers to report to work, or retaliate against workers who exercise their right to refuse.

Furthermore, the government must abolish the prevailing "no work, no pay" scheme outlined in Section 2, which unfairly forces workers to choose between risking their lives in severe weather or sacrificing a day’s wage to stay alive. This can be done by requiring companies to grant fully paid emergency leaves during climate disasters.

In addition to securing wage protections, employers must immediately transition employees to flexible work-from-home arrangements without reducing wages or benefits whenever severe weather threatens physical travel.

Finally, because those required to report to physical sites put their lives on the line, providing extra compensation can no longer remain a voluntary option; therefore, DOLE must mandate guaranteed hazard pay for all workers who risk their safety to work on-site during inclement weather.

Guidelines that treat safety as voluntary encourage companies to prioritize profit over human life. BIEN demands that DOLE enact strict, enforceable regulations that truly safeguard the lives, rights, and dignity of every Filipino worker.

# # #

👉Join BIEN here: tinyurl.com/JoinBIEN2026
👉Join our Channel: https://www.messenger.com/channel/BIENPilipinas

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