A total of 1,701 workers were assisted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to claim back wages, 13th-month pay, and other benefits from private employers.
The assistance includes the release of P36,279,263.84 cash claims from January to July this year under the Single Entry Approach (SEnA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 said in a statement.
The DOLE’s regional office has administered cash claims resulting in settlement of 745 Requests for Assistance (RFAs) out of the 979 RFAs they processed for the first semester of 2022.
DOLE’s SEnA platform is an administrative approach to providing a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure for all labor concerns and issues.
According to DOLE 6 Regional Director Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez Jr., the quick resolution of claims is a result of consistently urging the desk assistance officers to speed up the resolution of requests for the benefit of the affected workers.
Most of the claims filed were dues for 13th month pay, separation pay, last salary pay, delay in payment of salaries, non-compliance for minimum wages, holiday pay, illegal dismissal, constructive dismissal, sick leave, and non-payment of Coast-of-Living Adjustment (CoLA).
“You must have a heart for workers seeking assistance. Pera naman nila ‘yun at kailangan maibigay sa kanila sa lalong madaling panahon (That is, their money need to be given to them),” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez also urged all labor officers facilitating SEnA to consider all claim issues as urgent to prevent the workers and employers from ripening into full-blown disputes or actual labor cases.
DOLE Region 6 advised the public to avail the SEnA program through https://www.dole.gov.ph/single-entry-approach-sena/ or personally visit their respective labor offices.