Graveyard Ladies, Listen Up! You Won't Believe What I Just Read...

I was browsing the latest issue of FHM (that's November 2010) that my brother bought just a few days ago (he bought that just because of his celeb crush, Ehra Madrigal, but that's another story). Then I stumbled upon an article about graveyard shift employees.

I could pretty much relate to this article. You see, I'm at the graveyard shift for the past month (I'm in the morning shift next week! Yay!), and I know pretty well the perks (night differential!) and bums (sleepless days) of being assigned to that shift.

But I gasped loudly upon reading a side article related to the main article. I have to quote parts of that article, just so I could share to you guys what I'm talking about.


Women can't work at night


Article 130 of the Labor Code prohibits a woman 'regardless of age' to work between 10pm to 6am the following day. Given, there are exceptions. But nowhere in those exceptions do call center agents actually fit (except if they are managers). So how did all the women comprising 60 percent of the entire Philippine call center industry according to a recent study* working the nightshift? That is still up for debate in Congress, some arguing that the law does not address the modern times. All the call centers can do right now is ask for exemptions. And they get them.

*Night Work Prohibition of Women Workers in the Philippine Call Center Industry by Dr. Robert Keitel, Ms. Melissa Dorothy Ledesma, 2009.


Whoa.

I can't believe that there is such thing as women-not-allowed-to-do-graveyard-shifts.And that it is actually provided in the law. I better look this provision up when I get to take Labor Law in the coming semesters.

But what the hell am I doing in the night shift for the past month and last August? Not that I'm complaining, but do we have the appropriate exemptions, if the law provides for such?

And the thing is, I'm not even a call center agent. I'm a catalog writer, but given my situation, I'm pretty much like working in one. Sometimes, I can't help but agree with my mom when she told me that I better work at a call center, since I have the same work skeds as that of a call center agent. But I resist the urge, because of my own reasons, and that's another story.

I do agree that the law 'does not address the modern times' anymore. Let's face it: amidst the economic crunch, people would do everything just to earn extra dough, even going as far as turning night into day. This is true especially to those who are the breadwinners of their respective families. And with the rise of call centers catering to international clients, graveyard shift employees are fast becoming a fact in the country's local labor sector. What the government should provide, in my opinion, is more protection to these kind of employees, especially in terms of health (lack of sleep alone poses numerous health risks) and safety (nighttime is notorious for crimes). Employers should also look after these factors among their graveyard shift employees, and I mean not just by giving them huge compensations. After all, what's the use of a big compensation for their work if their workers do not feel healthy and secure to continue working?

Right?