15 March 2025
LOGAN KAL-EL M. ZAPANTA
Editor in Chief
The Varsitarian
Dear Mr. Zapanta:
In an article posted on The Varsitarian’s Facebook page on 14 March 2025 entitled, “UNION MAKES DEADLOCK OFFICIAL,” The Varsitarian posted a copy of USTFU’s letter to the Management Panel rendering a formal notice of a negotiation deadlock, allegedly resulting from eleven (11) unresolved CBA provisions.
The Management Panel requests assistance from The Varsitarian in informing your readers of the following:
1. We received USTFU’s Formal Notice of Negotiation Deadlock on 14 March 2025;
2. We have formally answered USTFU’s Formal Notice of Negotiation Deadlock on 15 March 2025, as follows:
a. We took exception to the representation that there are 11 CBA provisions, which caused the deadlock. In the meeting held between UST and USTFU on 28 February 2025, and in the discussions with the academic staff during the 2025 General Assembly held on 10 March 2025 (The Varsitarian, 06 March 2025), there are only two (2) remaining CBA provisions that the parties are still seeking to arrive at a settlement. These are:
i. Allocation of Php 26 million from the tuition fee increase (TFI) for rank upgrades and salary restructuring; and
ii. Proposed increase in critical illness benefits from Php 200,000 to Php 300.000.
b. To be able to arrive at a settlement, the Management Panel clarified that the approval of the additional two (2) days of vacation leave for non-teaching academic staff and the increase in the critical illness benefits was contingent upon USTFU’s acceptance of the Php26 million TFI allocation for rank upgrades and salary restructuring;
c. UST has indeed allocated 70% of the tuition fee increases from A.Y. 2021-2022 to A.Y. 2023-2024, including the remaining undistributed TFI for AY 2020- 2021, for distribution to the academic staff upon the conclusion of the CBA Negotiations. UST noted that the allocation of the TFI is one of the two CBA provisions on which the parties are still seeking to arrive at an agreement. Thus, finalizing the CBA is essential to establishing a clear and mutually agreed-upon framework for this distribution.
d. UST communicated that it had hoped to work toward a resolution that reflects our shared commitment to fairness and transparency, and we will continue to pursue all available legal and ethical avenues to achieve this goal.
We hope you can publish this Letter to the Editor so that our stakeholders may be better informed of the facts pertaining to the UST-USTFU CBA negotiations.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Signed
PROF. CHERYL R. PERALTA, DrPH
Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs
Chair, Management Panel, CBA 2021-2026
