Alternative way helps settle more labor rows in 2010 — DOLE

The high settlement rate in labor disputes last year benefited 24,429 workers to the tune of P3.7 billion, the Department of Labor and Employment said over the weekend. The alternative methods the department adopted in settling disputes helped avoid expensive legal proceedings in resolving labor rows, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. "Alternative dispute resolution is beneficial not only in resolving disputing parties to avoid contentious settlement, but also in facilitating speedy, yet impartial, delivery of labor justice, which is indispensable in promoting industrial peace and workers' productivity," the secretary said in an article on the Labor Department website. Citing a report of National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), Baldoz said the board disposed of 1,719 cases in 2010. The high settlement rates in 2010 significantly yielded lower cases of actual strikes and lockouts, according to the NCMB. VS, GMA News