DOLE: P2.9B financial aid helps over 58K workers in 2024


DOLE.jpg
(File photo: DOLE)

More than P2.9 billion in monetary benefits were provided to workers nationwide through the Single-Entry Approach (SEnA) program in 2024, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Friday, Jan. 31.

In collaboration with DOLE's regional offices and the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), the program resolved labor disputes for 58,212 workers, positively impacting thousands of Filipino families.

Launched in 2013 under Republic Act No. 10396, the SEnA program offers a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation process to resolve labor disputes efficiently and prevent escalation into formal cases.

In 2024, the program processed 53,519 Requests for Assistance (RFAs), achieving a 99.63 percent disposition rate and a 90.35 percent settlement rate, underscoring its effectiveness in addressing workers' issues, according to DOLE.

With an average resolution time of five to nine days, the program demonstrated swift action, with DOLE Regional Office III (Central Luzon) leading by resolving cases in just one day on average.

The RFAs came from a wide range of business sectors, with 36.88 percent from small enterprises, 26.24 percent from micro-enterprises, 12.88 percent from medium enterprises, and 24 percent from large enterprises.

Of the total RFAs, 94.82 percent were resolved within a 30-day period, with the remaining cases settled within an extended timeframe.

By December 2024, 90.52 percent of RFAs were resolved within the prescribed 30 days, with only a small percentage requiring up to 45 days for resolution.

As of year-end, 2.68 percent of RFAs remained under conciliation-mediation.

In addition to the SEnA program, the DOLE said it also promotes industrial peace through its Grievance Machinery, Voluntary Arbitration, and Workplace Relations Enhancement Program, which trains workers in conflict resolution and effective communication.