Labor complainants required to secure appointment online

CEBU, Philippines —Those who seek assistance from the National Labor Relations Commission-Regional Arbitration Branch (NLRC-RAB-7) are now required to get an appointment online.

NLRC RAB-7 Executive Labor Arbiter Emiliano Tiongco, Jr. said that this is to ensure the safety of their stakeholders.

“This new policy aims to minimize physical contact as much as possible. Clients will have go to the RAB on their appointed time and must accomplish first the form online,” said Tiongco in his report during the recently-held Department of Labor and Employment-Regional Coordinating Committee (DOLE RCC).

Tiongco said that RAB-7 is now operating from Monday to Friday with 100% manpower complement and decongesting their office by way of entertaining only those, who have set an online appointment

Tiongco said that filling out of forms at the RAB office is now discouraged and booking an appointment online is easier than having to physically go to their office outright without an assurance that one’s concerns will be accommodated immediately.

Services at the NLRC-RAB that now require online appointment included the (1) Request of Assistance under the Single Entry Approach (SEnA) program involving one complainant and that one, involving two or more complainants; (2) Formal Complaint before the sala of a Labor Arbiter involving one complainant and that one involving two or more complainants.

“We are now implementing a No Walk-In Policy. For clients coming from other Offices offering SEnA and in the event there’s failure in their conferences and they are being endorsed to us, we advise them to book an appointment online first because they will not be entertained if they go straight to the Office even if they have their referral slips with them,” Tiongco said.

NLRC-RAB’s move is in support to the latest En BanC Resolution No. 03-20, Series of 2020 of the National Labor Relations Commission underscoring the necessity of promoting safety among their clients, personnel and all stakeholders by way of reducing physical contact as much as possible at their Offices.

“The DOLE, being the mother agency of the NLRC is in full support to their latest policy. This is one way of ensuring that the minimum health standards are being abided by in their Offices. For the clients of DOLE, they can go check the announcement of the NLRC-RAB that we have also posted at our FB page and website,” said DOLE-7 Regional Director Salome O. Siaton, who also sits as DOLE RCC-7 chairperson.

She added that the DOLE is also now developing an online public assistance help desk.

“For as long as the party or client seeking assistance has the facility such as laptop or a cellphone and a good internet connection, then a Public Assistance Desk Officer or PADO could entertain him/her virtually,” said Siaton in a statement.

Other offices offering SEnA are the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); NLRC-RAB; National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB-7); Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA); Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA-7); and the Regional Tripartite Wages Tripartite and Productivity Board (RTWPB-7). — LPM (FREEMAN)