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The President of  UEA, Sarah Preztoza said, "The Alorica and West management has left us with no choice but to wage a strike. We have exhausted all efforts to resolve our issues through constructive means and social dialogue. We humbly sought their attention numerous times but they have turned their back on us every step of the way. They stubbornly refused to sit down and talk while they continue with their illegal and unjust termination of our members and co-workers along with their pursuit of cancellation of our union registration."

In solidarity with union members of Unified Employees of Alorica (UEA) in the Philippines, UNI Global Union has called on Alorica to end its efforts to break the workers’ union.

After acquiring contact centre company West Corporation in 2015, and inheriting its union, Alorica has unsuccessfully attempted to strip workers of their union through court manoeuvres over the last three years.

UNI calls on Alorica to:

• Recognize their employees’ basic human right to join a trade union and bargain collectively with UEA members.
• Recognize the union representatives of UEA and discuss with the union the real problems facing Alorica workers in the Philippines.
• Stop the unnecessary and meritless legal cases against the union’s registration.
• Cease firing union representatives.

Christy Hoffman General Secretary of UNI Global Union said, “UNI stands in solidarity with Alorica workers in the Philippines. The only way to create decent contact centre jobs is through organising workers into unions and collective bargaining. Alorica must stop all forms of union busting and recognise the workers’ union.”

UEA is the only union that is registered in the Filipino contact centre industry, which employs 1.4 million workers, mostly for the United States English language market.

United States-based Alorica is the third-largest contact centre company in the world by revenue, and mainly services its North American clients from the Philippines.