Resolving labour disputes in the Philippines: legitimacy and effectiveness in a polycentric regulatory framework

Abstract This article provides an empirically informed account of the processes for resolving labour disputes in the Philippines. Moving beyond earlier studies that have focused on the ineffectiveness of formal processes, we widen the scope of our inquiry to examine the labour dispute resolution regime as a polycentric regulatory framework. We focus on disputes about firms’ labour‐hire practices to explore the roles of state‐based and non‐state‐based regulatory actors and the interaction of formal and informal processes within the dispute resolution regime. Despite the failings of the formal dispute resolution system, we find that it provides a central focus for these disputes and that regulatory actors move fluidly between formal and informal processes to bolster their legitimacy claims and to overcome obstacles in the formal system. The strategic use of informal processes also allows workers’ representatives to influence the broader political and economic forces that underpin the widespread adoption of precarious working conditions.