The UST Faculty Union (USTFU) deferred the strike vote initially set for May 15 to give the negotiating parties another chance to arrive at a consensus after months of back-and-forth discussions, its president said.
USTFU president Asst. Prof. Emerito Gonzales said the strike vote was postponed because of “encouraging signs” in favor of the faculty members.
“We, union panel, are giving dialogue, extended dialogue, another chance to reach a settlement. It is highly recommended by [the] National Chief of the NCMB (National Conciliation Mediation Board),” Gonzales told The Flame.
The administration and USTFU are scheduled to hold a final dialogue on the contentious items related to faculty members’ salaries and benefits on May 20.
According to Gonzales, declaring a deadlock, filing a strike notice and engaging in mediation talks are “not acts of hostility, but necessary steps to forge a genuine and principled partnership with UST management.”
“[T]he path we have taken—declaring a deadlock, filing a notice of strike, and entering conciliation-mediation are all lawful and moral avenues in the pursuit of fairness,” he said during the faculty union’s special general assembly on May 15.
With the strike vote on hold, benefits, rank upgrades and medical coverages remain negotiable under the watch of the labor department’s NCMB, including the senior high school salary restructuring amounting to P10.5 million, which will be backed by a 50-50 cost from faculty’s shares and non-tuition hike proceeds, and the release of P220 million tuition hike shares from the past three academic years.
The union also sought full hospitalization benefits at the UST Hospital. If cumulative expenses exceed P16 million at any point within the academic year, the policy shall revert to a tiered reimbursement system, the faculty union said.
The administration agreed to increase critical illness coverage from P300,000 to P350,000 and base medical coverage from P100,000 to P150,000, but rejected the request for permanent 100% coverage. The hospitalization fund’s proposed one-time addition was also raised from P3 million to P10 million to P7 million, with that amount coming from sources other than the tuition hike shares.
So far, the management has vowed to release the P27.8 million tuition hike share from academic year 2020-2021 by May 20 and agreed to give non-teaching staff members an extra two vacation days.
Gonzales expressed hope that the faculty and the administration would treat each other as “partners grounded in mutual respect” at the outcome of the negotiations.
“If we truly want to serve the best interest of our students, we must first build a community where administration and faculty are not adversaries, but partners grounded in mutual respect and a shared commitment to building a better, more humane UST,” he said.
If the strike proceeds, Gonzales said there would be no work stoppage as the labor secretary would instead intervene and settle the dispute between both parties.
Out of the 1,343 faculty union members, 673 “yes” votes are needed to hold a strike, which means that they reject the administration’s final offer. A majority vote of “no” indicates the acceptance of the University’s proposals and the ratification of the 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement. F — J. A. Flores with reports from Ma. Alyanna Selda
