Claim Value Reduction in Appeal Does Not Alter Procedural Basis

In an appeal concerning a labor dispute originally valued over the statutory threshold, the court held that the appellant's subsequent reduction of the claim to below the threshold (Fr. 30,000) in the appellate phase does not trigger the application of the ex officio investigation principle or the cost-free nature of the appeal proceedings, as the applicability of these rules is determined by the value of the claim at the time the challenged decision was rendered. The court reasoned that allowing such a reduction to change the procedural basis would enable parties to strategically circumvent the procedural rules applicable to the initial proceeding and improperly alter the appellate court's function as a review body.