NLRC’s snail-paced action on workers’ woes irks Sen. Tulfo
STOP WORKERS ABUSES: Sen. Raffy T. Tulfo, during the organizational meeting of the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development Monday, September 12, 2022, urges the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to address the abuses against the Filipino workers immediately. Senate PRIB / Bibo Nueva España
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Raffy Tulfo was enraged on Monday over the National Labor Relations Commission’s (NLRC) slow decision on workers’ concerns.
In a hearing before the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, Tulfo questioned NLRC chairperson Gerardo Nograles on why issues under his jurisdiction often take so long to resolve.
“Now, chairman, bakit po ‘yung kaso umaabot ng one year, two years, three years? Meron pa ngang five years. Ano ‘yun pinapatagal kasi nagtatawaran sa aregluhan?” Tulfo asked.
(Now, chairman, why do cases take a year, two years, three years? Some even reach five years. Is that a delaying tactic to reach a settlement?)
“Sorry, mainit ang ulo ko ngayon dahil naalala ko na naman ‘yung mga pang-aapi sa ating manggagawa,” he added.
(Sorry, I’m just furious right now because I remember the maltreatment of our workers.)
Tulfo, a former broadcaster, touted that he could solve labor concerns lodged in his program Raffy Tulfo in Action for just a week.
Nograles noted that their labor arbiters work on complaints for nine months.
“Right now our record shows, for labor arbiters, ang aming [our] period to decide is nine months. That is because we have our process,” he said.
Tulfo claimed that delaying cases will only benefit companies, employers, and the NLRC and prolonged suffering for the laborers.
“Ito talaga problema rito na sinasadya niyong pahabain nang sa gayon hanggang sa magsawa na po ‘yung manggagawa, mag-susurender na. Sino magbe-benefit ‘pag nag-surrender mga manggagawa? ‘Di ang magbe-benefit mga kumpanya at magbe-benefit dito ay mga taga-NLRC,” he stressed.
(This is the problem, you intentionally slow down the process of resolving cases until the worker gets tired and surrenders. Who will benefit when workers give up? Companies and the NLRC will benefit from it.)
Tulfo then pleaded with Nograles to shorten their process of handling labor cases from nine months to just a month.
Nograles assured the senator that the agency would do its best to resolve labor-related concerns.
The NLRC is receiving about 25,000 labor cases monthly. Each arbiter is taking at least 27 cases, the chairperson shared. With reports from Christian Paul dela Cruz, INQUIRER.net trainee
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