THE UST Faculty Union (USTFU) is seeking the intervention and legal opinion of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on the release of the 70% share intended for faculty salaries and benefits, which has been stalled for three years.
In a letter to members of the union, USTFU President Asst. Prof. Emelito Gonzales said he has formally requested a “legal clarification and intervention” from CHED chairperson Prospero de Vera III on the University’s release of tuition hike shares to faculty members.
Gonzales cited section 26.6 of the UST collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which states that the University shall “establish a fair and equitable distribution of the tuition fee increment for all employees on the basis of the relative worth and complexity of the jobs.”
“Similarly, any excess in distribution coming from the tuition fee increase of a particular academic year shall be dedicated from the TFI (tuition fee increase) of the next academic year,” the provision read.
The faculty union chief emphasized the need to address the economic needs of faculty members.
“In this regard, our actions must be both appropriate within the context of the ongoing CBA negotiations—which have now reached a critical stage—and compliant with available legal remedies,” Gonzales said.
“Equally important, our actions should reflect the dignity and professionalism expected of us as educators at the University of Santo Tomas.”
Last October, the University said it would defer the release of 70 percent of the tuition hike proceeds until negotiations on the revised collective bargaining agreement are finished, citing the need to adhere to the legal guidelines and requirements established by CHED.
In a separate letter addressed to de Vera, Gonzales asked for clarification over the University’s compliance with section five of Republic Act 6728, also known as the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act, which states that higher education institutions are required by law to devote 70 percent of their tuition increases to the pay, perks, and allowances of its teaching and non-teaching staff.
“Our collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which is supposed to cover the years 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 were stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we only started negotiation with the administration of UST for the said years in March 2024,” Gonzales said in the letter.
According to him, the University reported its tuition increases for academic years 2021 to 2022, 2022 to 2023, and 2023 to 2024, which amounted to P102,785,987.34; P127,988,154.92; and P213,624,187.8, respectively. The stalled 70 percent share amounts to P71,950,191.14; P89,591,708.44; P149,536,931.50, respectively, for those years.
The union panel and the UST administration hit a deadlock on Nov. 22, according to a report addressed to the USTFU dated Dec. 14.
Union members will hold a general assembly on Jan. 14 to decide on whether to declare a deadlock for the 2021 to 2026 CBA. F – Christian Querol
