T This research is motivated by the complexities of employment termination disputes that directly impact workers\\\' livelihoods, as illustrated by the golf caddy case in decision no. 56/pdt.sus-phi/2024/pn smg and the unilateral withdrawal of a job offer in *paolo landayan aragones v. alltech biotechnology corporation* (g.r. no. 251736). the research questions address the mechanisms and procedures for resolving termination disputes in indonesia and the philippines, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of legal protections for workers based on these rulings. the study employs a normative legal research method with a descriptive-comparative approach, utilizing qualitative analysis of legislation, court decisions, and legal doctrine within the field of industrial relations. the findings indicate that indonesia employs a tiered mechanism—comprising bipartite negotiation, mediation/conciliation, the industrial relations court, and supreme court cassation—characterized by detailed procedural regulations; however, practice tends to be overly formalistic, potentially barring workers from a substantive review of their cases, as evidenced by the semarang industrial relations court decision. conversely, the philippines—utilizing a process involving sena, the labor arbiter, the nlrc, the court of appeals, and the supreme court—demonstrates a more pro-worker jurisprudential interpretation. key aspects include the doctrine that an employment relationship commences upon acceptance of a job offer and the placement of the burden of proving the validity of a termination on the employer, even though the dispute resolution pathway is relatively long and time-consuming.