Legazpi City, Albay – A dispute regarding final pay between a former employee and a local vaccine distributor in Quezon City was resolved on September 20, 2024 through the Single Entry Approach Program (SEnA) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The issue was filed through a Request for Assistance (RFA) with the Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch (RCMB) No. V on August 30, 2024.

RCMB-V SEAD Officer Jennifer Mae Novela conducted conciliation and mediation of dispute between the requesting and responding party.

During the initial interview, the requesting party claimed that she had not received her final pay after her resignation despite repeated inquiries with the company. As a result, she sought assistance from the RCMB-V. In the initial conference on September 4, 2024, the company’s Human Resources Manager acknowledged the delays in processing the claim and attributed them to understaffing. However, she assured the requesting party that the company would expedite the computation of her final pay. 

After a series of conferences, both parties reached a positive resolution and agreed to an amicable settlement. The terms of the agreement include a payment of Thirty Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-Two Pesos and Eighty-Three Centavos (P30,582.83) which represents the employee’s full monetary claims/final pay. Additionally, the RCMB-V proposed conducting an Orientation Seminar focused on Labor-Management Cooperation. This seminar aims to enhance employer and employee relations at the plant level through continuous communication and information sharing. 

The resolution of the dispute highlights the importance of effective communication in resolving workplace conflicts. 

The SEnA program is an administrative approach designed to provide an accessible, speedy, impartial, and inexpensive settlement procedure of all labor and employment issues through a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation period. This was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 10396 series of 2013 and was further detailed in DOLE Department Order No. 151 series of 2016.

As one of the implementing agencies of the SENA program, the NCMB promotes conciliation and mediation as an effective method in settling labor disputes. The NCMB also works to enhance cooperation and coordination among DOLE regional offices and agencies that are involved in dispute resolution.

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