The BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) called on the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on December 30, to temporarily halt the operations at Alorica after part of its building caught fire on December 21. The group asked the agency to issue a written Work Stoppage Order to push the company to prioritize the safety of its workers.

The fire reportedly started on the sixth floor of Alorica at around 9:30 p.m. on December 21. Workers resting on the 14th floor were not immediately alerted because the fire alarms failed to function. They evacuated only because their fellow workers initiated to warn them about the fire.

Even without clearance from the BFP confirming the building’s safety, Alorica immediately ordered the employees to return to work the next day, December 22. The company did not provide medical support to workers affected by the fire and smoke, even accusing them of merely “acting out” when they raised complaints.

According to BIEN, the company’s “business as usual” approach “gambles with the lives of the workers.”

On December 27, BIEN wrote the Department of Labor and Employment to raise concerns about the building’s safety and to request an investigation into potential safety issues affecting call center agents working in the facility. They also urged to temporarily close Alorica’s office and transfer employees to another building while assessment and repairs are being carried out.

On December 29, the BFP mentioned the possible release of a work stoppage order but did not issue any written directive.

“Verbal statements are not enough when people’s lives, health and jobs are on the line,” BIEN national president Mylene Cabalona said. She urged the BFP to immediately issue a written directive directly to the employees or their representatives.

“Safety is a fundamental right, not a suggestion,” she said.