THE UST administration has expressed readiness to “immediately” release a portion of the tuition hike shares pending clarification on how the distribution will be carried out, according to the UST Faculty Union (USTFU).
In a report released on April 27, the faculty union said the University management had “manifested” that it could greenlight the immediate distribution of the academic staff’s tuition increase shares from academic year 2020-2021, which has now been updated from P26.44 million to P27.8 million, once the process has been clarified.
“In response to the Union’s repeated requests (consistent with Section 26 of the current [collective bargaining agreement]), Management manifested that it could release this amount immediately pending clarification on the manner of distribution,” USTFU said.
The report detailed the fourth conciliation-mediation meeting last April 24.
“We welcome UST’s acknowledgement that they are obligated to release immediately the P27.8 million,” the union added.
Of the amount, the union demanded the allocation of P6 million for faculty members’ hospitalization benefits and P21.8 million for across-the-board salary increases.
The meeting between USTFU and the administration was facilitated by the labor department’s National Conciliation and Mediation Board (DOLE-NCMB).
It was part of the mediation board’s process to reach a deal between the two parties after the faculty union filed a strike notice on March 25, a move that stemmed from undistributed tuition hike shares and unresolved provisions of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
USTFU previously said a strike may occur as early as May 2 should the mediation board fail to reconcile both parties. According to the faculty union, UST urged the labor department to intervene in the ongoing dispute through a petition for assumption of jurisdiction.
USTFU president Asst. Prof. Emerito Gonzales said the situation remains “fluid” for the union to decide whether to hold a strike.
“Very fluid the scenario. [Let us] see what the management’s final counter offers [are] this [Tuesday, 2:00 p.m.],” he told The Flame.
The faculty union has persistently requested the release of the P220 million tuition proceeds, but no amount has so far been distributed to the faculty members, with the University citing the lack of a signed CBA.
Another contentious item is the allocation of the P26 million tuition hike share for the academic year 2023-2024, a point that still remains contested, according to USTFU.
“The Union panel maintains its position that the SHS deserves salary upgrade through salary restructuring but it must be sourced from UST’s other income, not from the faculty’s legally mandated [tuition increase] share,” the union said.
However, USTFU added that the management remains firm in its stand to derive the rank and salary upgrades from the faculty’s tuition proceeds. It quoted the administration as saying that only about P4 million would be allocated for tertiary rank upgrades, while the amount would be largely distributed as back pay to all academic staff.
Both parties are set to meet again with the NCMB on Tuesday, April 29.
For the next meeting, the faculty union requested that the management formalize its final counter-proposals and provide supporting documentation to accompany its offer.
Since the meetings began, three of the CBA’s provisions have already been resolved, namely the benefits of the National Service Training Program, reduction of emergency loan interest from 6% to 4% and the faculty’s 11th and 12th month pay, which is to be renegotiated in June. F
