Senators on Monday sought a review of the snail-paced hearing of cases at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).
During the organizational briefing of the Senate Committee on Labor Employment and Human Resources Development, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said they have been receiving mounting complaints of pending cases before the NLRC.
He exhorted the NLRC to ramp up their efforts and hasten to address all cases. He cited several instances when a worker is no longer connected with a company or sometimes, the company was already registered under another name.
Worse, if a worker wins in a labor case, Tulfo said a sheriff will tell him to look for the property of his employer.
“That is the job of the NLRC and not the worker who will also be asked to a bank and look for properties that can be garnished. They’re too lazy. They are very lazy,” he said.
NLRC chairperson Gerardo Nograles, however, told the panel chaired by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada that based on their records, a labor arbiter has nine months to decide a case.
He noted that there are processes to be followed.
He also related that an arbiter handles at least 27 cases.
Due to this, they plan to add arbiters to reduce the number of labor cases they are handling.
“Sometimes, we really have many cases, but we are doing our best. That’s why I have instructed them to finish the cases within 9 months,” also said Nograles.
Based on their records, he said within 3 months, their labor arbiters decided 54% if cases being handled, and for 9-month period, 91%.
He further stated that only i9% of labor cases had been decided over a 9-month period. Buf Tulfo maintained the slow process which drove a worker-complainant to focus on his case as he needs to look for another job. Others have gone abroad.
Nograles guarantees they will review the case.
Senators Nancy Binay at Ronald dela Rosa cited the need for a law to fast track the processes at the NLRC.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said they are targetting to give quality services.
Despite the decline in the unemployment rate, our people got lower skilled at lower paid jobs.
But he hopes that there will be an emergence of quality jobs and our people given better jobs.