DOLE 7’s SEnA Program Helps Workers in Need

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 7 has disbursed over P2.1-million as monetary aid for workers with disputes through the Single Entry Approach (SEnA) program.

The SEnA program of the labor department aims to streamline the process of helping workers who have disputes with their employers.

129 workers that filed a request for assistance (RFA) in July, received “what’s due them” during the conferences conducted, according to DOLE-7 OIC-Regional Director Lilia A. Estillore.

DOLE 7 added that 101 of the 146 RFAs assisted by the Single Entry Approach Desk Officers (SEADOs) have received the amount due to the worker, which totals P2,101,856.06.

According to DOLE 7, the TRI-City Field Office (Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City) have given financial aid to 40 workers or P1,044,171.64.

In Negros Oriental Field Office, 48 workers also benefited from the labor department’s program amounting to P391,000.00.

In Bohol Field Office, P321,737.13 was released to 26 workers.

Cebu Provincial Field Office awarded P271,447.29 to 11 affected workers.

Meanwhile, Siquijor Field Office released P73,500.00 to workers.

“The positive result of the SEnA program for the month of July is an offshoot of the efforts exerted by the SEADOs from the different field offices that handled 163 RFAs, which mostly revolved around underpayment of wages; maternity claims; and non-payment of thirteenth-month pay, holiday pay, night shift differential, service incentive leave, and overtime pay, among others,” DOLE 7 said

DOLE 7 had awarded around P24 million pesos workers with RFA’s during the first six months of the SEnA program.

Moreover, aside from DOLE, other government agencies also offer the Single Entry Approach (SEnA) namely the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB-7), Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-7), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA-7), National Labor Relations Commission-Regional Arbitration Branch (NLRC-RAB-7), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA-7).

The Single Entry Approach (SEnA) was launched in 2013. This program aims to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure for all labor issues or conflicts to prevent disputes to ripen into actual labor cases.

The SEnA program provides a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation intervention on employee and employer disputes, aiming to result in amicable settlements among parties which is assisted by a SEnA Desk Officer (SEADO). (ASC)