PUNE: BPO and call centre operations in the city were partially affected on Monday due to the dawn-to-dusk strike called by the newly formed Maharashtra Call Centre Drivers/ Owners Association.
Formed about two months back, the association which has over 2,000 cab owners/drivers in the city as members was demanding better wages, paid leave, sick leave and an end to erratic work schedules.
Though nearly all companies had made alternative arrangements to ensure work didn’t suffer in a big way, women employees preferred to take the day off. Pune has about 150 BPOs with a 30,000-strong workforce.
Headed by Nana Kshirsagar, the association had given the strike call a week ago. At Mphasis BPO in Kalyaninagar, 20% of the employees stayed away though buses had been pressed into service.
At the Wipro BPO in Hinjewadi IT Park, security had been beefed up and special arrangements were also in place to ensure employees were not inconvenienced. Wipro also had a special helpline number for the day to help employees in case of any emergency.
“Special buses were arranged and additional private security was deployed at the BPO. A few security personnel in plainclothes also accompanied employees on the buses,” said Shardanand Kumar, general manager, location, Pune Development Centre,Wipro.
At IBM Daksh where the cab drivers’ association had planned a protest in the morning, the situation was peaceful.
“IBM has a globally benchmarked and seamless processes that enables us to focus on the well-being of our employees. Operations were normal,” said Roma Nawani, general manager, corporate communications.
