(FILE) Unionized faculty members attended the annual general assembly of the UST Faculty Union in October 2023.

THE UST Faculty Union (USTFU) has decided to return to the bargaining table with the UST administration, postponing the vote over deadlock it sought in December in hopes of last-minute “compromises” for the 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). 

USTFU President Emerito Gonzales said the union pulled back the vote to ratify the CBA deadlock, initially planned for a Jan. 14 general assembly, upon the board’s request. 

“It is the wish of the USTFU Board, that we, the CBA panel, meet first [with] the UST admin on Jan. 31,” Gonzales told the Varsitarian. “We’ll see if they have better offers, we restate our updated positions, and hope for compromises.” 

READ: Union sets Jan. 14 vote over deadlock in talks for new faculty salary, benefits deal 

In November, the negotiations for the 2021-2026 CBA reached a major impasse when the union panel declared a deadlock due to prolonged disagreements over two major economic proposals: hospitalization benefits and rank upgrades.

USTFU proposed a P25-million allocation for hospitalization and medical benefits over five academic years, with coverage caps of P150,000 and P300,000 for critical illnesses. The administration countered with an annual allocation of P3 million.

For rank upgrades, the union sought a P26-million allocation from non-tuition collections. 

Other contentious items include a retirement package equivalent to 175% of basic pay and service awards equivalent to 3% of monthly salary per year of service, compared with the administration’s flat P500 offer.

USTFU also pitched a P10,000 annual technological support allowance, which the administration panel sought to reduce to P8,000.

The administration panel is headed by Vice Rector For Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta and includes lawyer Elgin Perez, Education Dean Pilar Romero, Tourism Dean and lawyer Gezzez Granado, auditor Christine Nicolas, Assoc. Prof. Peter Lim, and Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P.

It also includes Assoc. Prof. Donald Manlapaz and Assoc. Prof. Al Faithrich Navarette. 

The USTFU panel is chaired by Gonzales and consists of members Asst. Prof. Edilberto Gonzaga, Asst. Prof. Maria Victoria Bongar, Pocholo Arabit, Asst. Prof. Crisencio Paner, and Asst. Prof. Jonathan Cabero.

Hesitation among USTFU board members 

The 2021-2026 CBA has been delayed for three years now, leaving faculty members grappling with inflationary pressure in the absence of salary hikes. By law, economic provisions should already go through renegotiation midway into the term of the deal.

Faculty members familiar with the negotiations told the Varsitarian that while the union’s CBA panel and legal adviser were inclined to declare a deadlock, most of the USTFU board was reluctant to the idea. 

In December, Gonzales called out the USTFU board for allegedly monopolizing decisions and preventing the panel from providing updates and consulting with union members during a “crucial stage of negotiations.”

“These members of the USTFU board oppose the idea and would like to prevent the CBA panelists from providing updates and consultations with the club presidents and the union members,” he wrote in a Dec. 14 letter to union members.  

Declaring a deadlock would allow the National Conciliation and Mediation Board to step in to resolve the disagreements over the CBA, which is a contract for salaries and other terms and conditions of work. 

Options available to USTFU down the line include calling a strike or a lockout, though such measures are rarely implemented as CBA disputes in UST have historically been resolved through compromises or backchannel negotiations.

Gonzales said the vote to ratify the deadlock would proceed if no agreement is reached on Jan. 31. 

“We, the CBA panel, will report these (developments) to the members and proceed with our Google Form to the members for them to vote yes or no to support a deadlock,” he said, noting that an in-person vote is already out of the picture. 

About 1,500 tenured and probationary faculty members are expected to participate in the vote. with reports from Hannah Joyce V. Andaya

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