Quasi-judicial bodies which exercises jurisdiction over Labor cases

A. With Original Jurisdiction

Labor Arbiters(Art. 217); National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC); Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR)/Regional Office(Art. 226); DOLE Regional Directors/duly authorized hearing officers(Art. 129); Grievance Machinery and Voluntary Arbitrators(Art. 260); Secretary of Labor and Employment/his duly authorized representatives(Art. 128);

B. With Appellate Jurisdiction

National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC); Secretary of Labor and Employment; and Director of the Bureau of Labor Relations.

LABOR ARBITERS
What is the nature of jurisdiction of Labor Arbiters?
The jurisdiction is original and exclusive in nature. Labor Arbiters have no appellate jurisdiction.

 What are the cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Labor Arbiters?
Labor Arbiters have jurisdiction over the following cases : Unfair labor practice (ULP) cases;

Termination disputes (or illegal dismissal cases);

 Cases that workers may file involving wages, rates of pay, hours of work and other terms and conditions of employment, if accompanied with claim for reinstatement;
Claims for actual, moral, exemplary and other forms of damages arising from the employeremployee relations; Cases arising from any violation of Article 264 of this Code, including questions involving the legality of strikes and lockouts; and

 Except claims for Employees Compensation, Social Security, Medicare and maternity benefits, all other claims arising from employer-employee relations, including those of persons in domestic or household service, involving an amount exceeding five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) regardless of whether accompanied with a claim for reinstatement. If the amount is less than (P5,000.00) it shall fall under the jurisdiction of the DOLE Regional Director

NLRC
What are the two kinds of jurisdiction of the NLRC?
Original jurisdiction; and Exclusive appellate jurisdiction.

 Original jurisdiction
Injunction in ordinary labor disputes to enjoin or restrain any actual or threatened commission of any or all prohibited or unlawful acts or to require the performance of a particular act in any labor dispute which, if not restrained or performed forthwith, may cause grave or irreparable damage to any party.

Injunction in strikes or lockouts under Article 264 of the Labor Code.

 Certified labor disputes causing or likely to cause a strike or lockout in an industry indispensable to the national interest, certified to it by the Secretary of Labor and Employment for compulsory arbitration.

 Exclusive appellate jurisdiction

All cases decided by the Labor Arbiters including contempt cases. Cases decided by the DOLE Regional Directors or his duly authorized Hearing Officers (under Article 129) involving recovery of wages, simple money claims and other benefits not exceeding P5,000 and not accompanied by claim for reinstatement.

 What is the distinction between the jurisdiction of the Labor Arbiters and the NLRC?
The NLRC has exclusive appellate jurisdiction on ALL cases decided by the Labor Arbiters. The NLRC does not have original jurisdiction on the cases over which Labor Arbiters have original and exclusive jurisdiction. If a claim does not fall within the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Labor Arbiter, the NLRC cannot have appellate jurisdiction thereover.

BLR/LRD
The BLR has original and exclusive jurisdiction over the following:
on all inter-union and intra-union conflicts, and all disputes, grievances or problems arising from or affecting labor-management relations in all workplaces, whether agricultural or nonagricultural, except those arising from the implementation or interpretation of collective bargaining agreements which shall be the subject of grievance procedure and/or voluntary arbitration.

 Labor Relations Division handles the same cases of Bureau of Labor Relations in the Regional Offices of the Department of Labor and Employment.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Under Article 129, the Regional Director or any of the duly authorized hearing officers of DOLE have jurisdiction over claims for recovery of wages, simple money claims and other benefits, provided that:
the claim must arise from employer-employee relationship; the claimant does not seek reinstatement; and the aggregate money claim of each employee does not exceed P5,000.00

GRIEVANCE MACHINERY
Cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Grievance Machinery are those grievance arising from:
the interpretation or implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA); and the interpretation or enforcement of company personnel policies.

 (NOTE: All grievances submitted to the grievance machinery which are not settled within seven (7) calendar days from the date of its submission shall automatically be referred to voluntary arbitration prescribed in the CBA)

VOLUNTARY ARBITRATORS
The Voluntary Arbitrator (or panel of Voluntary Arbitrators) has original and exclusive jurisdiction over the following:
all unresolved grievances arising from the interpretation or implementation of the collective bargaining agreement after exhaustion of the grievance procedure; and

 all unresolved grievances arising from the implementation or interpretation of company personnel policies. (Article 261).
all other labor disputes including unfair labor practices and bargaining deadlocks, upon agreement of the parties. (Article 262).

SECRETARY OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

When may the Secretary of DOLE assume jurisdiction of a labor dispute and what are its effects? When, in his opinion, the labor dispute may cause or is likely to cause a strike or lock-out in an industry indispensable to the national interest. Such assumption shall automatically enjoin all intended or impending strikes or lockouts or, if one has already taken place, it shall require all striking or locked out employees to return to work on pain of dismissal.

 What are the cases falling under the DOLE Secretarys appellate power?
Orders issued by the duly authorized representative of the Secretary of Labor and Employment under Article 128 (Visitorial and Enforcement Power) may be appealed to the latter. (Art. 128).

 Denial of application for union registration or cancellation of union registration originally rendered by the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) may be appealed to the Secretary of Labor and Employment. (NOTE: If originally rendered by the Regional Office, appeal should be made to the BLR).
Decisions of the Med-Arbiter in certification election cases are appealable to the DOLE Secretary. (Art. 259).

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