Labor Relations

​In 2013, Teknika Skills and Trade Services, Inc. (TSTSI) hired Stephanie Maitim and others as nursing aides for employment in Saudi Arabia. However, they were later compelled to sign new contracts reclassifying them as housekeepers with reduced salaries and longer working hours. After completing over three years of service, they were denied repatriation until local authorities intervened. Back in the Philippines, they filed complaints for underpayment and other labor violations. The Labor Arbiter ruled in their favor, awarding salary differentials and benefits. The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) upheld this decision, adding entitlements for food allowance and overtime pay. However, the Court of Appeals reversed the NLRC’s ruling, dismissing their claims. The Supreme Court later reinstated the NLRC’s decision, emphasizing the employer’s burden to prove the payment of proper compensation and resolving doubts in favor of the workers.