Quezon City – The National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) held the 28th annual Labor Dispute Management Course (LDMC) on 23-26 July 2024 at the Sequoia Hotel and the Privato Hotel, both located in Quezon City. The training course upskilled the Board’s officials and conciliator-mediators on topics related to handling labor disputes.

This year’s event kicked off with a joint session with the mediator-arbiters of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on 23 July 2024. The joint session is a first of its kind as it provided an avenue for the DOLE case handlers to discuss and brainstorm over overlapping issues and concerns in their respective works. 

The activity highlighted the importance of information sharing and collaboration in resolving labor disputes. Undersecretary Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio, Jr. served as the resource person on the Amended Omnibus Guidelines on the Exercise of Freedom of Association and Civil Liberties and Conciliation-Mediation Techniques. Inputs on the topics were likewise provided by Labor Arbiter and Officer-in-Charge of the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) Maria Consuelo Bacay and Deputy Executive Director Teresita Audea. 

The rest of the sessions focused on addressing the emerging challenges of the constantly evolving labor landscape. A session on the latest jurisprudence on seafarers’ disability claims was provided by Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator (AVA) Pedrito Faytaren, Jr. on 24 July 2024. It was followed by an in-depth evaluation of presumed strikeable issues by Former Undersecretary for Labor Relations, Atty. Rebecca Chato, on 25 July 2024. 

Aside from this year’s special topics, time was allocated for the discussion of the proposed amendments to the existing Manual of Procedures for Conciliation and Mediation Cases. Atty. Ligaya Lumbay, Regional Branch Director of RCMB MIMAROPA and Officer-in-Charge of the Technical Services Department, facilitated the review of the recommendations gathered from the regional consultations in addition to the initially proposed amendments. 

The two Deputy Executive Directors, Maria Cristina Mangaliman and Teresita Audea, facilitated their respective sessions on administrative concerns and critical cases,  wrapping up the 28th annual LDMC. 

The annual course ensures that the Board’s case handlers are knowledgeable and refreshed with the pertinent knowledge and skill set in performing their functions as vanguard of industrial peace. 

For more information about this article, you may email cmd_co@ncmb.gov.ph or call (02) 8252-6262 local 747.

END/ Eloisa Aquino