THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has facilitated more than P6.62 billion in monetary benefits for workers as it intensified conciliation, mediation, and voluntary arbitration efforts through the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).
The DOLE reported high settlement and disposition rates in labor dispute resolution, thereby averting work stoppages and minimize disruptions.
As of Nov. 30, 2025, the NCMB handled 361 preventive mediation cases involving nearly 76,000 workers, posting a 94-percent disposition rate and a 91 percent settlement rate. During the same period, 129 notices of strike or lockout involving 31,451 workers were recorded, with a 90-percent disposition rate and a 74-percent settlement rate.
Actual strikes and lockouts were limited to 11 work stoppages, with only one case pending at period-end. Despite these incidents, total work disruption was contained to 53,493 person-days lost, DOLE disclosed.
Under the Single-Entry Approach program, the NCMB processed 5,448 requests for assistance, achieving a 99-percent disposition rate and a 77-percent settlement rate. Disputes were resolved in an average of 10 days. The board also handled 2,011 voluntary arbitration cases, posting an overall disposition rate of 76%, with higher resolution rates in maritime disputes (77 percent) than land-based cases (59 percent).
Preventive mechanisms were likewise expanded in 2025. The NCMB established 516 new Labor-Management Cooperation (LMC) mechanisms and enhanced 2,670 existing ones, covering 4,810 companies nationwide.
Grievance machinery was strengthened through 517 newly operationalized systems and 2,715 enhancements, resulting in 97% of companies with grievance mechanisms avoiding disputes.
Convergence programs further bolstered workplace relations, with 754 LMCs enhanced under productivity initiatives, 577 under occupational safety and health programs, and 466 under family welfare initiatives.
Sex-disaggregated data showed that 64 percent of the 2,033 alternative dispute resolution cases filed involved male workers, while 36 percent involved female workers. Of the 1,927 cases resolved, 80 percent involved male workers only, 18 percent involved both male and female workers, and two percent involved female workers only.
DOLE said sustained improvements in dispute prevention and resolution support national efforts to attract investments and generate more productive, stable, and better-paying jobs.
