NLRC urges employers, workers to solve disputes among themselves

To declog labor-related cases pending at the National Labor Relations Commission and at trial courts, the labor department is urging employers and workers to settle labor disputes at the industry level.

Newly appointed NLRC chairman Ernesto Bitonio Jr. said that plant level settlement is the most efficient way of solving labor disputes before they become full-blown cases.

He said that although the conciliation-mediation process is the "policy preference of the system," it is not well promoted. He said this approach does not even mention jurisdiction and is a "conscientual preferred mode of dispute settlement."

Recently, the Department of Labor and Employment held a 3-day seminar/workshop on conciliation and mediation to enhance and train employees from the DOLE 7, NLRC-Regional Arbitration Board, Philippines Overseas Workers Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

DOLE said that the activity was aimed at facilitating mutual agreement between parties by utilizing the trainees to accept all labor related complaints and immediately initiate conciliation and mediation regardless of jurisdiction.

"Where it is necessary to invoke a third party, it goes to conciliation/mediation or voluntary arbitrators and if it cannot be resolved, only as the least third party resort should parties go to arbitration, the NLRC," Bitonio said.

Meanwhile, DOLE 7 director Rodolfo Sabulao said he is hopeful that through this new strategy, backlog of cases would be reduced and labor arbiters and hearing officers would be unburdened by piled up cases. - Wenna A. Berondo