‘MASS JOB CUTS’: BPO workers seek DOLE probe into TTEC layoffs

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

An industrywide workers’ association has called on the Department of Labor and Employment to investigate the alleged mass layoff of employees tied to a telecommunications account handled by a business process outsourcing firm operating in multiple sites across the country.

The Business Process Outsourcing Industry Employees Network, in an open letter to DOLE on Saturday, June 6, called for an immediate inspection and formal probe into reported job cuts and labor rights violations affecting workers handling the Verizon account of TTEC in Iloilo, Cebu, and Novaliches.

TTEC, formerly known as TeleTech Holdings Inc., announced its name change to TTEC on Jan. 9, 2018, and describes itself as a global customer experience company that designs, builds, and operates customer experience services for major brands.

BIEN said it received more than 200 testimonies from affected workers across multiple sites, with estimates placing the number of affected employees at no fewer than 1,500 nationwide.

The group described the situation as indicative of “systemic violations of workers’ rights,” including alleged illegal dismissal, coercive resignation practices, and hostile working conditions.

According to the accounts cited by BIEN, workers alleged that management manipulated customer survey results and account metrics to improve client performance ratings.

The workers claimed that when irregularities were reportedly discovered, frontline employees were held accountable while management was not.

BIEN also reported claims that some employees were pressured to resign immediately instead of undergoing formal administrative procedures, with warnings that refusal could affect their employment records or benefits.

“Several testimonies describe sudden and unexplained system deactivations after returning from days off, paid time off, or medical leave, often without prior notice, written explanation, or proper due process,” it said.

Workers further alleged that Notices to Explain and Notices of Decision were issued without sufficient evidence or documentation during hearings.

The group also flagged complaints over the alleged abuse of “floating status,” in which employees were reportedly placed on indefinite off-phone status without clear timelines for redeployment.

BIEN said workers also complained of reductions in allowances and night differential pay.

Additional testimonies cited verbal abuse, public humiliation, intimidation, and psychological distress among workers.

Some workers reported anxiety, panic attacks, and the need for psychiatric support due to job insecurity and workplace pressure, the group said.

BIEN also raised concerns involving employees returning from maternity or medical leave who allegedly faced sudden terminations, account dissolutions, or forced reassignments to distant work locations.

In Iloilo, more than 60 TTEC employees filed an illegal dismissal complaint before the National Labor Relations Commission Sub-Regional Arbitration Branch 6 in Iloilo City on May 4.

The workers accused the company of terminating them without due process and on unjust grounds.

BIEN joined the filing of the complaint.

The NLRC handles labor disputes, including illegal dismissal cases, while DOLE may conduct labor inspections and interventions involving compliance with labor standards.

“Taken together, these testimonies indicate not isolated incidents but a pattern of systemic abuse and labor rights violations that demand urgent government action,” the workers’ association emphasized.

BIEN said the BPO industry continues to generate substantial profits while workers face precarious employment, low wages, and heightened workplace surveillance.

“Workers who keep the industry running deserve dignity, protection, and justice, not intimidation and disposability […] An injury to one is an injury to all,” it emphasized.