More than P2.68 billion in collective bargaining benefits and other monetary gains were awarded to 57,127 workers in the first year of the Duterte administration.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the department also addressed the labor concerns of thousands of overseas Filipino workers, particularly those who were victims of abuses and illegal recruitment.
Bello said that the labor department has settled 34,698 cases since July last year.
“Alternative dispute resolution is our strategy to ensure speedy delivery of labor justice. We are relentless in having a lasting atmosphere of industrial peace and harmony through fast settlement of labor disputes,” Bello said.
Among the top labor disputes settled include Kepco SPC Power Corp. which netted a P130 million economic package for its 96 workers.
A total of 34,220 out of 48,669 cases handled were settled through the Single Entry Approach, which benefited 45,874 workers from the highest monetary gains of P1.311 billion.
On the preventive mediation, Bello said the National Conciliation and Mediation Board has settled 420 cases from the 531 it handled which resulted in P81.539 million in monetary awards to 2,710 workers.
A total of 140 notices of strikes or lockouts were also settled from the 228 cases handled which resulted to P1.296 billion monetary awards to 8,543 workers.
Bello noted the active role of Labor Management Cooperation (LMCs) and Grievance Machineries (GM) in companies that helped in resolving disputes through the promotion of good labor-management relations.
“We will continue our efforts to further bolster ADR mechanisms to strengthen our goal to ensure stable and just industrial climate,” he said.
