ILIGAN CITY (PIA)--Thelma Abioda, a kasambahay or domestic worker of the city, got P30,000 worth of unpaid 13-month pay from a certain employer, immediately after an amicable settlement through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE-10) Single-Entry Approach (SEnA) program, January 17, Lanao del Norte Provincial Field Office (LDN PFO).
DOLE Lanao del Norte Provincial Field Office Chief Lawyer Safrali S. Cabili said Single Entry Approach Desk Officer (SEADO) Annie Raidah Mua received the complaint from Abioda, January 12, and immediately scheduled a conciliation-mediation conference between the complainant and the respondent.
Cabili said that both parties were told at the conference how important it is to know and follow the labor standards.
Abioda was a kasambahay and caretaker of a boarding house in the city for almost 40 years. However, due to health problems, she resigned.
During the conference, the new caretaker of the said boarding house, on behalf of the owner, offered P30,000 to Abioda, who accordingly accepted and acknowledged the offer as a full settlement of the 13th month pay and financial assistance.
Thus, Mua effectively brought about a mutual agreement between both parties, which Abioda gratefully received immediately.
"Dako ang natabang sa ako ang DOLE kay nabayaran ko sa akong employer ug nalipay ko sa ilang serbisyo kay nalinawan ko og insakto sa tanan nakong mga pangutana," said Abioda.
(DOLE helped me a lot because my employer paid me right away, and I am very satisfied with their services. They were able to correctly answer all my questions)
SEnA is an administrative approach to providing a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure for all issues and complaints arising from employer-employee relations to prevent them from ripening into full-blown disputes. Under this approach, all labor and employment disputes shall undergo a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation process to effect settlement among the contending parties. (DOLE-LDN/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
