THE SUPREME Court has denied the UST Faculty Union's (USTFU) motion to reconsider a ruling junking a claim for P26 million in hospitalization and medical benefits, terminating the case against the University.
In a decision dated Oct. 22, the court denied the motion "with finality," saying there was no “substantial argument” presented to merit a reconsideration.
“The Court resolves to deny the motion with finality, the basic issues raised therein having been duly considered and passed upon by the Court in the aforesaid decision and no substantial argument having been adduced to warrant the reconsideration sought,” the decision read.
USTFU filed its motion for reconsideration last Sept. 15, claiming the high court erred in its decision that sided with UST.
In its July 30 decision, the court rejected USTFU's claim because hospitalization and medical benefits under the 1996-2001 Collecting Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the 1999 memorandum of agreement did not carry over to succeeding years. The carry-over provision is found only in the 2001-2006 and 2006-2011 CBAs.
The faculty union’s complaint was also dismissed because causes of action for unfair labor practice expire after one year, while money claims within employee-employer relations expire after three years.
“Considering the denial by the Supreme Court of USTFU’s motion for reconsideration, the case is now considered closed and terminated,” UST Legal Counsel Associate Ian Jerny De Leon said in an e-mail interview.
The dispute between the two parties started in 2007, over whether UST’s annual contributions to the USTFU hospitalization and medical benefits fund should be one-time or cumulative given annual increases in tuition.
