NW BT UNION HEALTH & SAFETY
 
 
     

 


World-wide Action Against 'BOSS'

Stop the BOSS CampaignUnions around the world are taking part in this year's Action Month in call centres coordinated by UNI global union - to highlight the issues facing customer service professionals and their fast growing industry.

What is commonly known as work related stress in the Uk, and a facet of the call centre industry here, it will be no surprise to safety reps that off-shore call centres are experiencing the same thing, but calling it BOSS - burn out stress syndrome.

In India, the effects of BOSS were felt so strongly that incidents of attempted suicide have been reported, prompting the Indian trade unions to look to the UK TU movement for support and advice.

Whilst UK companies such as BT claim to be concerned for the health, safety and welfare of their off-shore agency staff, little or no action whatsoever is taken to address these issues. In reality UK companies ignore totally the health and safety issues concerned saying it is not their responsibility but that of the Indian employer.

Such blatant ignorance and concern allows them to design the job and contracts without any concern for the effect on the local employees of the call centres concerned.

Such issues as night work, alien shift patterns, are just two of the major issues having a dramatic effect on the indigenous employees.

Every year in October UNI is co-ordinating a Month of Action for customer service workers.

The month is aimed at developing organising and recruitment activities in customer service centres, wherever the work is undertaken, as well as highlighting the high levels of stress customer service workers are exposed to.

UNI and its affiliates believe that only adequately treated customer service professionals, who are well trained and highly qualified, can provide a good service to the customer.

Customer service professionals face common issues globally. In their daily work they are exposed to all different kinds of stress, such as stress and anxiety, burn-out and depression, which fuel low morale - raising staff turnover and absenteeism and affecting service and productivity.

Stress is the theme of the month-long campaign for workers who deal with customers around the clock and often from around the globe and who are targeted and electronically monitored.

UNI global union is also gathering union organisers on 10-12 October to discuss global standards for the call centre industry and to establish union networks in the emerging global companies in the industry.

Unions believe that stress contributes to the high turnover of staff in many call centres.

Anti-stress kits have been produced by UNI and include an introduction to yoga as well as a stress ball, herbal tea and a CD with relaxing music.

"Customer service professionals in call centres around the world suffer from stress," said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. "That was the clear message from our first ever conference of call centre workers in Athens last October and unions are responding to their call."

"Our anti-stress kit is a practical guide to relaxation but the long term solution is a negotiated programme in each call centre to reduce stress and we want union health and safety reps and companies to put stress at the top of their agenda."

Among the global activities the CWA in the USA is leafleting call centres and publishing a report on conditions in call centres jointly compiled by unions in the US and India and Jobs with Justice.
The UNI-launched UNITES union in India has announced plans to negotiate HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in call and back office processing centres in conjunction with the International Labour Organisation.

In Germany ver.di is calling together call centre reps for a conference on 25-26 October; in Belgium LBC-CNE plans a press launch on 25 October of a leafleting campaign in Belgian call centres.

In Brazil SINTETEL is repeating its successful formula of training seminars aimed at young women workers in the call centre industry and in the Philippines unions are drawing up an action plan and a training programme in conjunction with the ILO.

Organising activities are planned in many other countries as unions increase their membership among call centre workers.

"Customer service professionals need unions just like workers in older industries and, where employers observe a level playing field, unions are increasingly successful in recruiting," said Philip Jennings.
"Growing the membership is important so that unions can tackle the problems call centre workers face and put their issues on the bargaining agenda."

Source: UNI


 


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