Quick answer

Most private-sector labor disputes begin with a Request for Assistance (RFA) under the Department of Labor and Employment’s Single Entry Approach (SEnA). You may file online through DOLE ARMS or onsite at an authorized DOLE, National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), or National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) office.

SEnA is a conciliation-mediation process—not yet a trial. A Single Entry Assistance Desk Officer (SEADO) helps the parties explore a voluntary settlement. If the dispute is not settled, the SEADO refers the unresolved issues to the office with jurisdiction, commonly a DOLE Regional Office or an NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch.

Most labor disputes must pass through SEnA before a formal case is filed. Important exceptions include actual or threatened strikes and lockouts, certain collective bargaining and union disputes, imminent occupational-safety dangers, social-security claims, and matters governed by separate licensing or regulatory procedures. These should be taken directly to the appropriate agency.

Step 1: Identify the dispute and the remedy you want

Write a short chronology covering:

Your employer’s complete legal and business names and address
Your position, workplace, start date, salary, and employment status
What happened, with exact dates
Who made the relevant decisions or statements
The amounts or benefits allegedly unpaid
What you want: payment, reinstatement, separation pay, correction of records, issuance of a certificate of employment, compliance with safety standards, or another lawful remedy

State every material issue. For example, an employee dismissed after complaining about unpaid overtime may have separate claims involving dismissal, overtime pay, holiday pay, service incentive leave, and retaliation connected with union activity. The proper remedy and limitation period may differ for each claim.

Step 2: Preserve evidence before access is lost

Keep lawful copies of relevant records, preferably on a personal device or account:

Employment contract, appointment letter, job description, and company ID
Payslips, payroll records, bank credits, time sheets, daily time records, schedules, and attendance logs
Notices to explain, administrative-charge documents, preventive-suspension notices, hearing minutes, and termination or redundancy notices
Emails, text messages, chat messages, memoranda, and HR correspondence
Performance evaluations, commendations, disciplinary records, and company policies
Proof of commissions, incentives, allowances, deductions, cash bonds, or expense reimbursements
Resignation letters, quitclaims, releases, and final-pay computations
Collective bargaining agreement, grievance records, and union communications
Medical records, incident reports, photographs, safety complaints, or inspection documents where relevant
Names and contact information of possible witnesses
Proof that demands or complaints were received, such as email delivery records, signed receiving copies, or courier tracking

Create a dated timeline and a separate computation of each money claim. Preserve original files and metadata where possible. Do not alter messages, secretly access accounts, or take trade secrets, customer data, or documents you have no lawful right to possess.

Step 3: File a SEnA Request for Assistance

Who may file

An individual worker, group of workers, union, workers’ association, federation, kasambahay, overseas Filipino worker, or employer may seek SEnA assistance. An immediate family member or representative may act for an absent or incapacitated requesting party when supported by a Special Power of Attorney. Heirs may file for a deceased worker subject to proof of death and relationship.

Platform, gig, flexible, and other non-standard workers may also seek assistance. Whether an employer-employee relationship exists may require formal determination if the parties disagree.

Where and how to file

An RFA may be filed:

Online through DOLE ARMS; or
Onsite at a Single Entry Assistance Desk in a DOLE Regional, Provincial, Field, or Satellite Office; an NCMB office or Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch; or an NLRC office or Regional Arbitration Branch.

Under the current SEnA rules, an onsite RFA may be filed at the office nearest the requesting party’s residence, the place where the union or workers’ association operates, or the employer’s principal place of business. If the convenient office is outside the region where the employer principally operates, the offices may coordinate the conferences.

In the RFA, provide accurate contact information for both sides, identify every issue, state the relief requested, and attach or bring the most useful supporting records. Keep the docket or reference number and proof of submission.

What happens next

For an online RFA, the initial-conference date should be set within two days from assignment to a SEADO. The initial conference is generally conducted within five calendar days, or on the earliest available date not exceeding ten days from assignment.

The 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation period begins at the initial conference where both parties appear, not necessarily on the date the RFA was submitted. The period may be extended by mutual agreement when settlement remains possible, but the extension cannot exceed 15 calendar days.

Conferences may be face-to-face or conducted through an available digital platform. Parties generally represent themselves. Lawyers are not encouraged at SEnA conferences except when appearing as a party, employer, or properly authorized representative.

Attend every setting, monitor your phone and email, and immediately report changes in address or contact details. If the responding party fails to appear at two consecutive scheduled conferences despite due notice, the SEADO may issue a referral.

Do not record a SEnA conference

Statements exchanged in conciliation-mediation are confidential and privileged. The current rules prohibit parties from using voice, video, or electronic recording devices during the proceedings. Preserve evidence created before or outside the conference, but do not secretly record the conference itself.

Step 4: Evaluate any proposed settlement carefully

A SEnA settlement must be written in a language or dialect the parties understand, signed by them, and attested to by the SEADO. Before signing, confirm that it clearly states:

Every issue being settled
The exact amount and payment method
Whether payment is one-time or by installments
Each installment amount and due date
Reinstatement, lifting of suspension, or other required action
Documents to be issued, such as a certificate of employment
The scope of any waiver or quitclaim
What happens if a party fails to comply

A properly attested SEnA settlement is final, immediately executory, and binding on DOLE offices and attached agencies unless contrary to law, morals, public order, or public policy. Under the current rules, the waiver and quitclaim should be issued only after full compliance with the settlement.

Do not sign an incomplete document, a blank release, or a quitclaim you do not understand. Ask for the computation and take time to compare the offer with the possible legal claims. Obtain a complete signed copy.

If the other party does not comply, promptly report the default to the SEADO. After efforts to secure voluntary compliance fail, the matter may be referred to the DOLE Regional Office or NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch, where the requesting party may seek execution of the settlement.

Step 5: If SEnA fails, file in the forum stated in the referral

Jurisdiction depends on the claim, employment relationship, requested remedy, governing contract, and applicable special law. The SEADO should refer unresolved issues to the proper office, but the usual routes are as follows.

NLRC Labor Arbiter

A Labor Arbiter ordinarily has jurisdiction over:

Illegal or constructive dismissal and other termination disputes
Unfair labor practice
Wage and employment-condition claims accompanied by a request for reinstatement
Damages arising from employer-employee relations
Claims exceeding ₱5,000 arising from employer-employee relations, subject to statutory exceptions
Legality of strikes and lockouts, unless the dispute is handled under a special procedure
Certain overseas Filipino worker money and damage claims
Other cases assigned by law

A Labor Arbiter case may generally be filed at the NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch covering either the complainant’s workplace or residence, at the complainant’s option. “Workplace” includes specified assignments and, under the 2025 NLRC Rules, the alternative workplace of telecommuting employees or workers under similar arrangements. OFW cases have separate venue options.

The formal complaint must identify the names and addresses of every complainant and respondent, contain all causes of action arising from the relationship, and be signed by all complainants. It must include verification and certification against forum shopping. The SEnA referral should form part of the record.

Under the current rules, NLRC pleadings may be filed personally, through registered mail, or through a courier authorized by the Commission. Because branch-level administrative requirements can change, confirm required copies and acceptable filing methods with the relevant NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch. The ARMS submission is an RFA; it should not be assumed to be the formal NLRC complaint.

DOLE Regional Office

A DOLE Regional Office may handle labor-standards enforcement through inspection and compliance proceedings while the employer-employee relationship still exists. Under Article 128 of the Labor Code, DOLE’s enforcement authority is not limited by the ₱5,000 threshold when the statutory conditions for that authority are present.

Article 129 separately authorizes the DOLE Regional Director or an authorized hearing officer to decide a simple claim for wages and other monetary benefits when:

The claim does not include reinstatement; and
The aggregate claim of each employee does not exceed ₱5,000.

The ₱5,000 amount is therefore not a universal ceiling on DOLE authority. Whether Article 128, Article 129, or Labor Arbiter jurisdiction applies depends on the nature of the proceeding and the facts.

Grievance machinery and voluntary arbitration

Disputes involving the interpretation or implementation of a collective bargaining agreement or the interpretation or enforcement of company personnel policies generally pass through the contractual grievance machinery. Unresolved grievances are ordinarily referred to a Voluntary Arbitrator or panel of Voluntary Arbitrators.

Read the CBA immediately. Its grievance steps may contain short internal deadlines.

NCMB strike, lockout, and preventive-mediation procedures

Actual strikes or lockouts, notices of strike or lockout, and notices of preventive mediation are excluded from ordinary SEnA processing. They are governed by separate Labor Code and NCMB procedures, including substantive grounds, voting, reporting, notice, and cooling-off requirements.

Workers and employers should obtain union or labor counsel and contact the appropriate NCMB regional branch before undertaking concerted work stoppage or lockout action. An ordinary workplace grievance does not by itself authorize a lawful strike.

Other special routes

Ordinary SEnA processing does not govern, among others:

Imminent-danger occupational-safety situations, dangerous occurrences, disabling injuries, or lack or inadequacy of personal protective equipment
SSS, employees’ compensation, and other social-security or welfare claims
Inter-union and intra-union disputes
Applications for exemption from wage orders
Certain violations involving recruitment or employment-agency licenses, alien employment permits, contractor registration, working-child permits, professional licenses, or TESDA accreditation
Claims already covered by a SEnA-attested settlement and quitclaim

Government employees covered by civil-service laws also generally use agency, Civil Service Commission, or public-sector labor-relations procedures rather than the private-sector NLRC process.

What happens in a Labor Arbiter case

The NLRC issues summons and schedules two settings for mandatory conciliation and mediation. If the case is not settled, the parties are directed to submit verified position papers with supporting documents and witness affidavits.

The position paper is critical. It must cover the causes of action in the complaint or properly amended complaint. Supporting affidavits generally take the place of witnesses’ direct testimony. New claims ordinarily cannot be introduced for the first time in a reply.

A complainant’s unjustified nonappearance at both scheduled mandatory conferences can result in dismissal without prejudice; a second dismissal for the same reason may be with prejudice. A respondent who fails to appear at the second setting despite proper summons may waive the right to file a position paper.

The Labor Arbiter decides from the position papers, documentary evidence, affidavits, and any clarificatory hearing considered necessary. The statutory period for deciding the case is generally measured from submission for decision—not from the original RFA or complaint date—so it is not a promise that the entire proceeding will finish within 30 days.

Filing deadlines and appeals

Do not wait until the last day. The date on which a claim “accrued” can itself be disputed, and different components of one case may have different deadlines.

Common periods include:

Money claims: three years from accrual under Article 306, formerly Article 291, of the Labor Code.
Unfair labor practice: one year from accrual under Article 305, formerly Article 290.
Illegal dismissal: generally four years from dismissal as an action based on injury to rights under Article 1146 of the Civil Code, as recognized by the Supreme Court.
Special claims: a CBA, overseas-employment law, seafarer rules, social legislation, or another statute may impose a different or shorter period.

The Supreme Court has treated the filing date of a mandatory SEnA request as the institution date in appropriate cases, including Zonio v. 88 Aces Maritime Services, Inc. Nevertheless, do not assume that an RFA suspends or preserves every possible claim under every special law. File early and obtain advice if a deadline is close.

Appeal periods are particularly strict:

A Labor Arbiter’s decision must be appealed to the NLRC within 10 calendar days from receipt.
An appeal from a DOLE Regional Director’s Article 129 decision must be filed within five calendar days from receipt.
If the final day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day.
No extension of these NLRC appeal periods is allowed.
When an employer appeals a monetary award, the current NLRC Rules generally require a cash or accredited surety bond equivalent to the monetary award, excluding damages and attorney’s fees.
Only one motion for reconsideration of an NLRC Commission decision is allowed. It must be based on palpable or patent error and filed within 10 calendar days from receipt, with proof of service on the other party.
Judicial review of an NLRC ruling is generally sought through a Rule 65 petition for certiorari in the Court of Appeals, normally within 60 days from notice of the denial of a timely motion for reconsideration. This is not an ordinary appeal and ordinarily requires a showing of grave abuse of discretion.

Seek legal help as soon as a decision is received. Counting from the date of receipt—not the date printed on the decision—is usually crucial.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating an online SEnA RFA as the formal NLRC complaint
Filing a formal case without obtaining the required SEnA referral
Naming only a supervisor instead of the correct employer, agency, contractor, principal, or responsible legal entity
Leaving valid claims out of the complaint and trying to add them only in the position paper or reply
Assuming every unpaid-wage case belongs to the same office
Using only the ₱5,000 figure to decide jurisdiction
Missing conferences or failing to update contact information
Recording confidential SEnA proceedings
Signing a quitclaim without a complete computation or definite payment dates
Accepting installment terms without preserving a signed, SEADO-attested agreement
Relying entirely on documents stored in a company-controlled account or device
Missing the five-, ten-, or 60-day review periods
Organizing a strike without complying with the separate statutory procedure

When legal or government help is urgent

Act immediately when:

A workplace condition presents imminent danger to life or health
A serious accident, disabling injury, violence, threat, or coercion has occurred
A strike, lockout, mass dismissal, union-busting allegation, or bargaining deadlock is developing
Your termination, position-paper, grievance, CBA, or appeal deadline is close
The employer is closing, transferring assets, or becoming insolvent
A settlement or quitclaim is being presented for immediate signature
The case involves multiple contractors, an overseas employer, a seafarer medical or disability claim, diplomatic immunity, or disputed employment status
You received an NLRC or DOLE decision and may need an appeal bond or Court of Appeals petition

SEnA does not replace emergency, criminal, occupational-safety, immigration, social-security, or professional-regulatory procedures. Report those matters to the appropriate authority as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a lawyer?

A lawyer is not required to file an RFA, and SEnA is designed for parties to represent themselves. A worker may also represent themselves before a Labor Arbiter. Legal assistance is advisable for dismissal, union, OFW or seafarer, contractor, substantial money, appeal, or prescription issues. Non-lawyer representation before the NLRC is permitted only in the circumstances allowed by its rules.

Can I file after resigning?

Yes. Separation from employment does not automatically erase claims for unpaid wages, benefits, illegal deductions, constructive dismissal, or other accrued rights. The merits and applicable filing period depend on the facts.

What if the employer says I was an independent contractor?

You may still request assistance. SEnA can provide conciliation or technical assistance, but a Labor Arbiter or other competent tribunal may have to determine whether an employer-employee relationship existed.

What if the employer ignores SEnA?

If the responding party fails to attend two consecutive scheduled conferences despite due notice, the SEADO may refer the unresolved matter to the appropriate office. Nonappearance does not automatically prove the underlying claim.

Can I file anonymously?

An anonymous report alleging labor-standards or occupational-safety violations may be treated as a request for technical assistance and, when appropriate, referred for inspection. It is not the same as a personal, docketed claim for payment or reinstatement.

Is a SEnA settlement enforceable?

Yes. A written settlement voluntarily signed by the parties and attested to by the SEADO is generally final and immediately executory. If it is not followed, report the default to the SEADO and request referral for enforcement.

How long will the whole case take?

SEnA ordinarily uses a 30-day conciliation-mediation period beginning with the initial conference where both parties appear, subject to a mutually agreed extension of up to 15 days. A formal case may take longer because summons, mandatory conferences, position papers, hearings, decision, appeal, and execution are separate stages.

Does filing guarantee reinstatement or payment?

No. Filing starts the appropriate process. The outcome depends on jurisdiction, timely filing, the parties’ evidence, the legal basis of each claim, and any valid defenses or settlement.

Official legal sources

This article provides general legal information, not legal advice for a particular dispute. Jurisdiction, remedies, and deadlines can change based on the documents and facts. Official sources and current procedures were checked on July 20, 2026.