Bill pushes higher graveyard shift pay for BPO employees

The bill defines the graveyard shift as work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

A new bill at the House of Representatives plans to increase compensation for employees working the night shift in business process outsourcing (BPO) centers.

Filed last May, House Bill 4414 seeks to repay BPO workers “for their exposure to health hazards brought about by the nature of their work.” The extra pay will be 25 percent more than their normal per-hour salary rate.

The current Night Shift Differential is only 10 percent.

If approved, companies that do not comply with the suggested law will have their business permits suspended for a month. They will also have to pay a P250,000 fine.

The pay increase is something BPO companies can afford, said the bill’s author Maguindanao 2nd District Representative Zajid Mangudadatu.

He noted “that BPOs are owned and operated by foreigners and are in Philippine Economic Zone Authority-accredited locations. This proposed increase is just a small price to pay for owners and operators of BPOs, some of whom enjoy tax benefits for being located in PEZA-accredited locations.”

The congressman also cited the act of taking and making irate calls, selling, and problem solving as sources of “undue stress” for BPO employees.

The bill defines the graveyard shift as work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

As of May 20, 2014, HB 4414 has been referred to the House Committee on Labor and Employment. —ANC with ABS-CBNnews.com