BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 23 -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 13 (Caraga Region) said 81 workers in Surigao del Sur have received settlement pay totaling PHP1.2 million this year through its Single-Entry Approach (SEnA) program.

In a statement on Thursday, DOLE-13 said the cases, filed by private company workers, included claims for service incentive leave, final pay, illegal dismissal, and minimum wage. The amount was released as of September.

"SEnA is a non-litigious and cost-free mechanism for resolving labor disputes and addresses workplace issues through conciliation-mediation," the agency said.

It reported that 57 requests for assistance were filed at the provincial DOLE office during the period. Of these, 49 were resolv...