The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BPO employees not treated well, say organisations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

BPO employees not treated well, say organisations

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Expressing shock and outrage over the rape and killing of Prathiba, the Committee Against Violence on Women, Human Rights Law Network, Mahila Jagruthi and other organisations have come down on the alleged disregard BPO companies have for their employees.

The organisations lamented that HP e-Global was being absolved of any criminal liability. Under Supreme Court guidelines established as part of the Vishaka judgment on sexual harassment as well as the Workmen's Compensation Act this case came under the definition of workplace and the employer was liable for the safety and security of the employee. They also condemned the statements issued by the Bangalore Police Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh where he claimed that the company could not be a party to the crime even as he acknowledged that there was a lapse on the part of the company. The attention meted out to employees in the BPO sector by the Government along with limited or no space for trade unions and employee representation organisations had only meant that these firms acted with "impunity." Any attempt at research and review of their labour practices is frequently blocked. Besides security and safety measures, the labour practices of the BPO sector should be reviewed, they urged.

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