Chief Justice Zalameda urged to accelerate resolution of labor cases

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November 8, 2026 | 1:15pm

MANILA, Philippines — A labor group has urged newly-appointed Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda for a speedy disposition of labor cases across the judiciary. 

In a statement on Saturday, November 7, Federation of Free Workers (FFW) National President Sonny Matula appealed for a comprehensive review of aging labor cases currently pending before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. 

“For a worker who has lost a job, every year of litigation means food, tuition and medicine that the family must struggle to afford. Ang manggagawa, arawan ang sahod; sana ang hustisya, hindi dekada ang hintayan,” Matula said. 

(For a worker who has lost a job, every year of litigation means food, tuition and medicine that the family must struggle to afford. A worker's wage is earned daily; hopefully, justice won't take decades of waiting.)

Matula also urged the high court to implement stricter monitoring against dilatory motions, establish digital court services for low-income litigants and introduce a proposed "Writ of Manggagawa" designed to expedite cases involving workers exercising their right to unionize.

“Hindi sapat ang panalo sa papel. Workers must receive the wages, benefits, reinstatement, or separation pay finally awarded to them while these remedies can still make a meaningful difference in their lives,” Vilma Garcia, FFW Board Member and President of the De La Salle Health Institute Employees Union said in a statement

(A victory on paper is not enough. Workers must receive the wages, benefits, reinstatement or separation pay finally awarded to them while these remedies can still make a meaningful difference in their lives.)

“Habang nakabinbin ang kaso, tuloy ang pamasahe, bayarin sa pagkain, pag-aaral, at pagpapagamot. Kailangang maramdaman ng manggagawa ang hustisya habang kaya pa nitong maiahon ang kanyang pamilya,” she added.

(While the case is pending, transportation, food, education and medical expenses continue to pile up. Workers must feel the effects of justice while it can still help lift their families out of hardship.)

Labor leaders also highlighted the need for urgent Supreme Court action regarding lower court injunctions against wage orders, specifically pointing to the Regional Trial Court injunction halting Metro Manila’s Wage Order No. 27.

FFW noted that the blocked wage hike leaves over one million minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region without expected financial relief.

“The RTC injunction blocking NCR Wage Order No. 27 is a grave injustice to more than a million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila,” Jun Mendoza Ramirez, FFW National Vice President and President of the Vishay Philippines Inc. Employees Union said.

“We respectfully urge the Supreme Court to act urgently on the challenge to the injunction. Bawat araw ng pagkaantala ay dagdag na pagkakait sa dagdag-sahod na inaasahan ng mga manggagawa at kanilang pamilya,” he added. 

(We respectfully urge the Supreme Court to act urgently on the challenge to the injunction. Every day of delay is an added denial of the wage increase that workers and their families are counting on.)

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Meanwhile, Matula noted that Justice Zalameda’s previous rulings—such as Ascent Skills Human Resources Services v. Manuel and Keng Hua Paper Products v. Ainza—demonstrate an understanding of workers’ realities.

“We hope Chief Justice Zalameda will bring that attention to the administration of the entire judiciary. The constitutional promise of full protection to labor must be felt in both the fairness of decisions and the time it takes to obtain and enforce them,” Matula said.

“Speedy labor justice must become a reality that workers and their families can experience, " he added.