A COALITION of UST labor unions called on the University and other Catholic schools in Metro Manila to voluntarily implement a wage increase for workers whose job security has been affected by continuous heavy rainfall and severe flooding.
The Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST (ONE-UST) said granting the P85 minimum wage increase despite the ongoing legal dispute over the wage order would help employees cover flood-related necessities and expenses.
“ONE-UST, therefore, respectfully appeals to the University of Santo Tomas to voluntarily extend to its covered workers the wage adjustment provided under NCR Wage Order No. 27, without prejudice to the final resolution of the cases now pending before the courts,” the group said in a public statement dated Sept. 3.
ONE-UST is composed of three labor unions based in the University, namely Ugnayang Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital, UST Faculty Union and Samahang Manggagawa ng UST.
The Metro Manila wage board has approved an P85 daily minimum wage increase, implemented in two tranches: P60 effective July 25 and an additional P25 effective January 20 next year.
The adjustment would raise the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers in Metro Manila from P695 to P780 once fully implemented.
However, wage hike was halted in July following the issuance of a temporary restraining order by the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC).
The Pasig RTC Branch 152 later issued a temporary restraining order on July 30 and a preliminary injunction on Aug. 13 on the petition filed by construction firms Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc.
A separate petition filed by the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. seeking to block the same wage increase is also pending before the Navotas RTC, where labor groups have sought to intervene and dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction.
On Aug. 28, the Supreme Court ordered the firms, a fishing federation and wage authorities to comment within 10 days on a petition filed by Kamanggagawa partylist and other labor groups challenging the Pasig and Navotas regional trial court orders.
While the group acknowledged that the wage order remains subject to court proceedings, it added that UST could still voluntarily grant the adjustment.
“Legal uncertainty does not prevent an institution from freely choosing to do what it believes is fair, humane and just,” the group said.
The coalition said UST, as a Catholic university, should consider the dignity of workers, solidarity and the common good in determining whether to extend the benefit.
“Catholic social teaching reminds us that — a just wage is the legitimate fruit of work,” the statement read.
The coalition also called on UST to review its contracting and subcontracting arrangements and ensure compliance with Department of Labor and Employment Order No. 174, which prohibits labor-only contracting and protects workers’ security of tenure.
Fair wages and secure employment, the coalition said, are crucial for low-paid, contractual and outsourced workers, who may be vulnerable to income losses during calamities and work disruptions.
“Fair wages and secure work are therefore not merely labor costs. They are forms of social protection,” the coalition said.
“The temporary restraint of a wage order need not become a restraint on compassion, solidarity, or responsible institutional leadership.”
The statement was signed by Ugnayang Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital President Donell John Siazon, UST Faculty Union President Asst. Prof. Emerito Gonzales and Samahang Manggagawa ng UST President Dan Paul Patricio. F
