A COALITION of UST labor unions has called on the University to voluntarily grant workers the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila despite a court injunction that has halted its implementation.
Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST (ONE-UST), composed of unions representing faculty members, hospital workers and support staff, made the appeal in a Sept. 3 statement, citing lost income from work disruptions caused by recent heavy rains.
The P85 increase under National Capital Region Wage Order No. 27 would raise the daily minimum wage in Metro Manila from P695 to P780, with a P60 increase initially set to take effect in July and another P25 in January 2027.
Implementation of the wage order was halted after the Pasig Regional Trial Court issued a temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction on a petition filed by two construction firms.
ONE-UST argued that the court action should not prevent UST from voluntarily extending the equivalent increase to its workers.
“The additional wage contemplated by the Order is not simply another figure on a payroll. For a working family, additional income means food on the table, transportation to work, medicine, electricity, school expenses, or help recovering from a flood,” the coalition said.
ONE-UST also invoked UST’s identity as a Catholic university in pressing its appeal.
“As a Catholic university, UST belongs to a tradition that places the dignity of the human person and the dignity of work at the center of social life,” the coalition said, citing Catholic social teaching on just wages.
The Supreme Court is handling the case filed before the Pasig court, along with a separate petition filed in Navotas seeking to block the same wage increase.
ONE-UST also called on UST to review its contracting and subcontracting arrangements to ensure compliance with the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) prohibition on labor-only contracting.
“Workers also need the security of knowing that the arrangements under which they are employed are lawful, fair, and respectful of their right to security of tenure,” the coalition said.
DOLE Department Order No. 174 regulates contracting and subcontracting arrangements and prohibits labor-only contracting, in which a contractor merely supplies workers to a principal under conditions prohibited by labor regulations.
ONE-UST said the wage and contractualization issues were linked by concerns over workers’ income and job security, particularly during calamities.
The coalition also urged other Catholic schools in Metro Manila to voluntarily grant their workers benefits equivalent to those provided under the suspended wage order.
“Catholic education teaches social justice in our classrooms. Our workplaces give us the opportunity to practice it,” ONE-UST said.
ONE-UST comprises the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), Ugnayang Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital (UNM-UST) and Samahang Manggagawa ng UST (SM-UST).
The statement was signed by USTFU President Asst. Prof. Emerito Gonzales, UNM-UST President Donell Siazon and SM-UST President Dan Patricio. Yuahn Zachary B. Guilas
