Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has chided the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) over its failure to resolve labor cases, saying that despite having improved their internal timelines in recent years, delays across the system continue to burden workers.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano (Senate PRIB photo)

During the Senate’s plenary debates on the DOLE’s proposed budget for 2026 last Nov. 27, Cayetano confronted the DOLE over the problem and asked the agency to provide a complete timeline of labor case they have resolved.

“Our problem before was the slow pace (of progress). That’s why there are many big companies, that wait it out because they have the money, the resources.” Cayetano said during the plenary debates.

While DOLE’s internal figures show faster action at the labor arbiter and commission levels, Cayetano noted that workers still face a long wait once the cases enter the courts.

“Give me the timeline from the filing of the complaint to the Labor Arbiter, to the Commission, then to the Court of Appeals. Because there are Supreme Court decisions that need to go through the Court of Appeals before going to the SC,” he pointed out.

Cayetano said the long process becomes a heavier burden on workers who cannot afford months without income while their cases drag on.

He pointed out that employers, especially large companies, have the financial capacity to withstand long disputes, leaving workers at a structural disadvantage.

“Many people really lose the will to pursue a lawsuit because they don't earn anything while the case is ongoing,” he lamented.

An updated data, Cayetano said, will help determine what reforms need to be implemented to ensure that workers receive timely resolutions when filing legitimate complaints.

He added that long-standing delays in the labor justice system can be addressed through a dedicated body such as the Executive-Legislative Labor Commission (LabCom) – one of his priority measures in the 20th Congress – to serve as the country’s main policy and coordination mechanism for worker protection and other key labor concerns.

“I’m not accusing…I want to understand. Because if ever there would be a Labor Commission created, these are exactly the types of issues that we will solve,” the minority leader said.