WITHHOLDING THE UST faculty members’ salary increases and benefits from previous tuition hikes is “unfair” and is a form of “economic coercion,” one of the country’s largest labor coalition said, as it urged universities to follow the law instead of “exploiting loopholes.”
In a post expressing support for the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), labor groups alliance Nagkaisa called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of the financial benefits to the España university’s academic staff.
“Universities must follow the law, not exploit loopholes. Withholding legally mandated salary increases amounting to P220 million isn’t just unfair—it’s economic coercion,” Nagkaisa said last March 20.
“Faculty members deserve dignified healthcare—not charity. If UST can fully cover hospital expenses for its hospital employees, why deny the same protection to its dedicated educators?”
The statement came after the USTFU declared a deadlock in its 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) talks with the UST management. Among the union’s requests are the release of 89% or P220 million from the tuition hikes shares; 100% hospitalization benefit for all members; an annual Christmas bonus worth P15,000 to P30,000 and the reduction of emergency loan interest from 6% to 4%.
READ: UST faculty union declares deadlock, considers holding a strike if impasse is not resolved
The UST administration claimed that P220 million or 89% of the total tuition hike shares, which includes collections from academic years 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 and those remaining from the previous CBA cycle from 2020-2021, was already allocated “with agreed-upon distribution terms” as of the latest negotiation meeting on Feb. 28. The remaining P26 million or 11% was supposedly derived from UST’s 6% tuition increase last academic year, which was for salary and rank upgrades.
“The University strongly refutes any claims of unfair labor practices. We value our academic staff and continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a CBA that is just, sustainable, and aligned with both faculty welfare and the long-term stability of the institution,” UST said in a recent statement.
READ: UST refutes unfair labor practices claims, affirms commitment to release tuition hike shares
However, the administration has yet to distribute these funds, according to faculty members.
The faculty union also raised the possibility of staging a strike as early as May 2 should the administration fail to address the conflict during the “cooling off” period, which ended on Friday, March 21.
Nagkaisa chair Sonny Matula expressed readiness to participate in the strike as a way of showing “moral support” to the union.
“We are at the back of the USTFU, though it’s up to the union when it comes to its line of actions,” Matula told The Flame.
“We also call for the Department of Labor to double time and exert effort so that the parties would come into an agreement of reconciliation and mediation.”
The Commission on Higher Education has recently approved the issuance of a show-cause order to UST due to its alleged violation of policies on transparency and the allocation of 70% of its tuition increase to the salaries and benefits of its employees.
Last March 15, the University assured its stakeholders that the impasse would not disrupt classes and other campus operations. F – Rovy Jilyn Fraginal with reports from Mari Ymanuel Roxas
