i had just confirmed that the rumor about the ACS "tragedy" was true.

ACS had indeed let go of 900+ agents since the account that they had declared bankruptcy.

but based on the article that i've read on inquirer.net, some of the agents resigned voluntarily. it's really a good thing that they had accepted it that way.

another good thing that i've read is that the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) assured that there will be forthcoming jobs for those people who were separated from that company.

at least, the government is doing something with this issue. let's just hope that there would be a brighter future for those people since having a job is a necessity these days and that Christmas is also near.

for the complete details, please read the article below.

CICT ASSURES
Jobs for displaced BPO workers in ACS
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) assured jobs will be forthcoming for nearly 900 ex-workers of call center firm Advanced Contact Solutions (ACS).

In an earlier statement, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) chief Ernesto Herrera urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to address these displaced workers who were reportedly retrenched after its client PRC, a teleservices firm, declared bankruptcy.
CICT commissioner Monchito Ibrahim, however, clarified that not all of these workers were laid off.

"I've talked to the president of ACS myself and he indicated that this falls within the normal 20 percent attrition rate call centers experience every year," Ibrahim told INQUIRER.net.
The company employs around 4,000 workers spread throughout six facilities, including those located in Laguna and Batangas.

According to the TUCP, employees who lost their jobs represent one-fifth of ACS' workforce.
But Ibrahim said some of these workers have resigned voluntarily as part of the normal attrition routine in call centers.

"Our message to these people is that they should not worry because the industry still needs thousands of workers. They should be absorbed by other companies so long as they are competent," Ibrahim said.

Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) chief Oscar Sañez, meanwhile, said such "changes in our client line up" is expected because of the current global economic crisis.
"Some US companies are being acquired by other companies, some are absorbing other companies and some are undergoing major restructuring or closing," he said in an e-mail response to INQUIRER.net.

"This means some of our clients will expand rapidly as they acquire more companies, outsource more and some clients are also downsizing or even closing. The client mix will change and we are anticipating that," he said.

But companies abroad will become more pressured to outsource to cut costs and improve efficiency during the crisis, the industry executive said.

"This is a good opportunity for the Philippine government to organize a more aggressive marketing campaign and more trade missions abroad," he said.


(PS: thanks to inquirer.net for the news and TL Dex for the link.)

i had just received a text message earlier from one of my collegues here at West saying that ACS (i don't exactly know if it is Advanced Contact Solutions or any other ACS-abbreviated contact centers) had just let go of 900+ agents?!

when i asked her what's the reason behind that and she said that she doesn't exactly know but it could be rooted on the fact that there's an on-going financial crisis in the US or that one of their biggest accounts had closed it's business on the outsourced company.

i just hope that there would be new windows of opportunities for those who had lost their jobs.