AS IT faces a looming strike over an impasse in teachers’ salary and benefit upgrades, the UST management filed a petition for assumption of jurisdiction with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), a move that will let the labor secretary intervene in the University’s dispute with the faculty union to counter work stoppages.
The petition was disclosed during the first conciliation-mediation meeting facilitated by the DOLE-National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) last March 28.
“UST Management informed the union that it had filed a petition for Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) with the Labor Secretary. However, while awaiting resolution of the petition, UST Management affirmed its participation in the conciliation-mediation process under NCMB,” the faculty union said in a statement released on April 1.
Under Article 278 (g) of the Labor Code, the labor secretary may refer the case to the National Labor Relations Commission for compulsory arbitration if it affects national interests, including essential services such as education. If granted, the petition could prevent any potential strike or protest action by the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) while compelling both parties to comply with the resolution issued by the labor department.
On March 25, the faculty union filed a notice of strike before the DOLE-NCMB as negotiations with the administration on improved salaries and benefits have reached a deadlock, which occurs when two parties bargaining fail to reach an agreement.
During the meeting, USTFU said 11 proposals were left unaddressed in the impasse, while the University management only identified two unaddressed issues, namely the hospitalization benefits and the P26 million rank upgrade.
Aside from a full hospitalization benefit and the P26 million allocation for senior high school (SHS) and rank upgrade for tertiary teachers, the faculty union has also requested the release of 89% of its tuition hike proceeds from 2020 to 2024, which amounts to P220 million.
According to the USTFU, the University is in an “exceptionally strong” financial standing given its P11.6 billion in unrestricted assets that are supposedly available at its discretionary decision. The administration, however, argued that the P12 billion in “unrestricted earnings” is not available for distribution as it comprises non-cash assets like holdings, buildings, equipment and software.
“It is incorrect to suggest that these funds are available for reallocation or distribution,” the Dominican-run institution’s statement read.
The University instead offered the union an additional P50,000 to the current P100,000 hospitalization benefit for general medicine coverage and P200,000 for critical illnesses, and is currently open for proposals to restructure the salary of SHS teachers. It also maintained its stance that the rank upgrade and SHS restructuring were “legally consistent” with the law.
Citing its analysis of UST’s financial statement, the faculty union, meanwhile, claimed the University’s investment accounts and other financial instruments indicate available resources.
“The decision to keep funds in long-term assets rather than addressing urgent faculty concerns is a matter of financial strategy—not an absolute limitation,” it said.
If the mediation board fails to create an agreement between both parties, the USTFU said it would stage a strike as early as May 2.
The administration and USTFU agreed to reconvene on Monday, April 7, to continue their discussions on the deadlocked collective bargaining agreement under the NCMB. F
