EDITOR’S NOTE: Figures in this story are based on the December 2024 computation by UST management. This story does not reflect the most recent data, recomputed on March 31, which has yet to be released to faculty.
A DEADLOCK has been declared over negotiations for a new salary and benefits deal for UST faculty, as union and management negotiators failed to reach an agreement over key economic provisions.
One of the contentious points is the P17-million allocation for “rank upgrades,” initially earmarked at P26 million, which UST management proposed to deduct from the faculty’s legally mandated 70% share in tuition hikes.
However, the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) opposed this, arguing that the administration should shoulder the cost of rank upgrades using accumulated earnings, given that promotions are the prerogative of management.
UST wanted the amount allocated to specific faculty with master’s and doctorate degrees but stuck in instructor levels.
READ: Union eyes filing of strike notice on March 24
But how much did UST faculty members stand to receive under the proposed 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA)?
During the March 10 general assembly where the majority of union members voted to declare a deadlock instead of accepting UST’s “final offer,” faculty members were given an idea of how much they would get in terms of back wages under the proposed CBA.
With the delay in increases in salaries and benefits under a new CBA, faculty members will get one-time payouts equivalent to increases they should have received from 2020.
Faculty members stood to get between P260,848 and P520,040, depending on category and rank. The amount varied across general faculty, high school teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, and National Service Training Program (NSTP) facilitators.
The computation included multiple benefits sourced from faculty tuition hike shares, such as salary increases from Academic Years (AY) 2020-2021 to 2023-2024; birthday, transportation, and meal allowances from 2021-2023; and signing bonuses, term-end perks, and a share of the P26-million rank upgrade, if applicable.
It also factored in technology and wellness allowances for AY 2024-2025. Perks from non-tuition hike collections, such as goodwill and tech support benefits, were also included.
For general faculty members, from instructor to full professor with a full 21-unit teaching load, back wages ranged from P284,818 (Instructor 1) to P520,040 (Professor 5).
USTFU claimed only 17 teachers were to receive over half a million in back wages.
High school teachers, from proto-teachers to master teachers with a 24-unit load, were set to receive between P274,636 and P408,173.
Guidance counselors, including junior, senior, and associate counselors with a 24-unit load, were slated to receive back wages ranging from P294,552 to P393,210.
Junior to senior librarians with 24 units were allotted P294,552 to P361,446 in back wages.
NSTP facilitators with 21 units would have received between P260,848 and P279,536, depending on their rank.
These figures were computed as of Dec. 31, 2024.
USTFU President Emerito Gonzales said the computation was not presented in detail during the union’s general assembly on March 10 because it factored in the contested P26-million allocation for rank upgrades.
“The backpay, it’s a little bit tricky,” Gonzales told the Varsitarian. “With our suggestion to set aside the P26 million for [rank upgrades for] AY 2023-2024, the computation will change; there are two versions, one that takes into account the P26 million and one that doesn’t.”
Blanket 8.5% salary hike, benefits
In a memorandum dated March 10, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta addressed faculty members’ questions regarding the CBA negotiations.
Peralta, who heads the UST management panel in the talks, clarified that all academic staff stood to receive an 8.489% salary increase and benefits improvement from AY 2020-2021 to AY 2023-2024.
Peralta also refuted a claim by the Faculty Association of Senior High School that SHS teachers would only receive an P11 salary increase as they were allocated only P1.5 million out of the P17-million budget for rank upgrades.
UST admin: Union panel refused allocation for SHS faculty salary restructuring
“Any approved salary restructuring for SHS academic staff will be IN ADDITION TO the 8.489% salary increase and benefits improvement from AY 2020-2021 to AY 2023-2024 granted to all academic staff,” the UST administrator said.
“The actual increase per unit will depend on the academic staff’s current rank, multiplied by the total teaching load,” she added.
The tuition hike share of the 1,400-strong UST faculty for AY 2023-2024 alone stood at P104 million.
Peralta explained that UST increased tuition by 6% that year specifically to “improve the ranks of particular sectors of academic staff to attract and retain exceptional talent.”
“Even with the removal of the originally earmarked 26M for rank upgrade and salary restructuring, the remaining amount (78M) for AY 2023-2024 for distribution to all academic staff is still much higher than the distributable amount in previous academic years,” Peralta said.
The deadlock will allow union and management negotiators to reboot negotiations for selected provisions of the proposed CBA with the guidance of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board of the Department of Labor and Employment.
There will be a five-day cooling-off period before the union can file a notice of strike, if the deadlock is not resolved.
