THE UNIVERSITY and the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) have finalized renegotiations for the last two years of their 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which guarantees a baseline salary increase, more allowance and other benefits that support the well-being of academic staff.
In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) dated May 22, the agreed-upon benefits for the academic staff improve on the economic provisions of the current CBA, which was the subject of a months-long labor dispute, before it was finally ratified last year in June.
“The Parties, consistent with their shared vision of peace and solidarity in the University, including the promotion of the well-being of the academic staff, have come to an agreement in compliance with the CBA provisions on the economic benefits for Academic Years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026,” the memorandum read.
Under the labor code, the CBA’s economic provisions shall be renegotiated not later than three years after its execution. The UST and USTFU began renegotiations in April.
The deal secured a 1.31% and 1.81% baseline salary increase for the academic years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, respectively.
The parties agreed that the final percentages for salary increase shall be established as soon as the University finalizes its financial reports on tuition hikes.
Philippine law mandates private schools to allocate 70% of tuition hikes to the salaries, allowance and benefits of its employees.
With the new CBA provisions, academic staff will also be allowed a five-day mental health leave, provided they meet the following criteria: full exhaustion of the fifteen-day annual sick leave, submission of a medical certification relating to mental health concerns issued by a licensed mental health professional (psychiatrist or clinical psychologist) and compliance with existing policies for sick leave availment.
The leave, which can be availed starting next academic year, will be “non-cumulative” and “non-convertible” to cash.
Furthermore, a one-time technology support shall be conferred to full-time academic staff (15 units and above) and part-time academic staff (below 15 units), worth P10,000 and P5,000, respectively, based on their average load this academic year.
Salary adjustments for National Service Training Program (NSTP) facilitators will likewise be implemented to be aligned with the Instructor 2 rate at the tertiary level, effective in the incoming academic year. Meanwhile, the NSTP allowance will be increased from P2,000 to P3,000 per term, effective academic year 2024-2025.
There will also be an adjustment to the eyeglass benefit, increasing from P2,500 to P8,000 starting the academic year 2026-2027, the budget for which would be sourced from the USTFU’s hospitalization Fund.
Several other benefits were also increased, all of which will apply starting academic year 2024-2025.
From P2,000, the parties agreed to increase the monetary equivalent of the rice benefit to P2,500 every other month. Moreover, qualified academic staff with less than 15 unit loads would also receive P119 per unit teaching load, following the same distribution schedule.
Qualified academic staff will also have the option to convert the rice sack benefit worth P2,500 into cash, which they would decide on before the academic year 2026-2027 commences.
Such intention must be accorded to the procedures prescribed by the Office of the Vice-Rector for Finance. The default distribution will apply if no selection is made.
The laundry allowance was also increased from P300 to P400 per month for full-time academic staff, while an increase from P14 to P19 per unit load per month was agreed upon for those working part-time.
Full-time academic staff will also see their clothing allowance rise by P1,000 from P 3,000 per term. Part-time faculty members will also receive an increased rate, from P142 to P190 per unit every term.
The St. Thomas Day and USTFU Day bonuses will both increase from P2,500 to P3,000, while medical cash support for dependents will rise from P300 to P400 monthly, distributed over 10 months per academic year.
The USTFU is the official labor organization for UST Manila’s academic staff, which it represents when negotiating the CBA, a contract that deals with wages, work hours, work loads and benefits. F
