Manila Times reported that the Department of Labor and Employment said that there was only one labor strike or work stoppage during the first three months or the first quarter of 2011.

Mr Rosalinda Baldoz labor secretary said that the DOLE is optimistic that the peaceful industrial climate in the country will further improve as the lone first quarter strike, which involved the workers of Supreme Steel in Pampanga, has also been settled.

Mr Baldoz said that the Department's National Conciliation & Mediation Board, during the said quarter, had disposed of 17 labor disputes through voluntary arbitration.

Based on the report of NCMB executive director Mr Reynaldo Ubaldo, 17 cases were part of the 94 arbitration cases the NCMB handled between January and March 7th 2011, including 69 cases carried over from 2010.

Mr Baldoz said that "The monetary award for the 17 disposed cases amounted to PHP 25.8 million benefiting seven workers."

Mr Ubaldo reported that the NCMB received only one notice of strike during the first week of March, bringing to 39 the total cases filed since January. Thirty four of these cases were carry-over from last year.

He said that "The board handled 73 notices of strike/lockouts during the reporting period. No work stoppage was declared during the first week of March."

(Sourced from www.manilatimes.net)