SEnA is an administrative approach to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure of all labor issues or conflicts to prevent them from ripening into full-blown disputes or actual labor cases. It was first introduced through Department Order 107-10 and later institutionalized through the enactment of Republic Act 10396 in 2013 providing for30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation for issues arising from labor and employment (i.e., governed by employee-employer relations). As a form of conciliation-mediation intervention, the main objective is to effect amicable settlement of the dispute among the differing parties wherein a neutral party, the SEnA Desk Officer (SEADO), assists the parties by giving advice, or offering solutions and alternatives to the problems. Labor dispute issues that may be settled through SEnA include, among others:

1. termination or suspension of employment issues;
2. claims for any sum of money, regardless of amount;
3. intra-union and inter-union issues, after exhaustion of administrative remedies;
4. unfair labor practices;
5. closures, retrenchments, redundancies, temporary lay-offs;
6. OFW cases; and
7. any other claims or issues arising from employer-employee relationship (except for occupational safety and health standards, involving imminent danger situation, dangerous occurrences /or disabling injury, and/or absence of personal protective equipment).

Any aggrieved worker, union, group of workers, or employer may file a request for assistance (RFA) in the regional offices where the employer principally operates. In case of a union or federation representing a local chapter, the request shall be made at the regional/provincial/district office where the union or local chapter is registered.

SEnA sets the period for 30 calendar days of conciliation-mediation. Settlement agreements reached are final and immediately executory. It is binding on all DOLE offices and attached agencies except when these are found to be contrary to law, morals, public order, and public policy.

The parties may choose elevate the RFA to the appropriate offices of the Department for Voluntary Arbitration when: 1) no settlement is reached within the 30-day timeframe, or 2) when either party is found not complying with the stipulations of the agreement reached.

Any aggrieved worker, union, group of workers, or employer may file a request for assistance (RFA). Labor dispute issues that may be settled through SEnA are:

1. termination or suspension of employment issues;
2. claims for any sum of money, regardless of amount;
3. intra-union and inter-union issues, after exhaustion of administrative remedies;
4. unfair labor practices;
5. closures, retrenchments, redundancies, temporary lay-offs;
6. OFW cases; and
7. occupational safety and health standards except those involving imminent danger situations,
8. issues arising from other labor and related issuances
9. any other claims or issues arising from employer-employee relationship
10. cases falling under the administrative and quasi-judicial jurisdiction of all DOLE offices and attached agencies, including NLRC except for:

• Notices of Strikes / Lockouts, or preventive mediation cases which shall remain with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB)
• issues arising from the interpretation or implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement(s) and those arising from interpretation or enforcement of company personnel policies which should be processed through the Grievance Machinery and Voluntary Arbitration
• issues involving violations of the following permits / licenses / registrations: a) Alien Employment Permits; b) PRPA authority / license; c) Working Child Permit and violations of RA 9231; d) Registration under DO 18-02; e) POEA-issued licenses under the Migrant Workers’ Act, as amended; f) Professional licenses issued by the PRC; g) TESDA accreditations; h) other similar permits, licenses or registrations issued by the DOLE or its attached agencies.

Requirements:
Filing of Requests For Assistance (RFA) shall be made in the regional offices where the employer principally operates. In case of a union or federation representing a local chapter, the RFA shall be made at the regional/provincial/ district office where the union or local chapter is registered.

The employee, group of employer, employees, or union who files an RFA shall accomplish the RFA Form for submission to the concerned regional / provincial / district office.