AFTER formally declaring a deadlock in negotiations, the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) has outlined its next steps amid the impasse over a new salary and benefits deal, as its president acknowledged uncertainties felt by some faculty members.
In an interview with the Varsitarian after the March 14 deadlock, Gonzales said it was rare for collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in UST to reach a deadlock, as previous agreements were typically accepted by faculty without further negotiations.
“Some faculty members have doubts because this way hasn’t been done in UST for such a long time,” Gonzales said in a mix of Filipino and English. “Faculty members have always accepted what was negotiated without actively pushing for their points of demand.”
There have only been two previous instances of a deadlocked UST faculty CBA: in 1989, which led to a faculty strike but was resolved through compromise, and in 2014, which was settled through backchannel talks.
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The USTFU formally declared a deadlock in negotiations over 11 CBA provisions on March 14, according to a formal notice submitted to the UST management panel. These items are all economic, as political provisions are not subject to deadlock.
However, UST contested this declaration, saying there were only two provisions “that the parties are still seeking to arrive at a settlement,” according to a March 17 letter by Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta to the Varsitarian.
READ: UST admin: Only 2 provisions unresolved in faculty salary, benefits deal
In a tentative timeline disseminated to union members on March 15, the USTFU said it planned to file on March 24 a notice of strike with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
This will come after the lapse of the five-day “cooling off” period between both parties on March 21.
Gonzales said that before USTFU returns to the bargaining table, this time with the assistance of the NCMB, it will shift its focus on clarifying CBA matters with its members and establishing unity within its ranks.
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Filing a notice of strike will allow the NCMB to mediate during future negotiations.
This mediation may last up to 30 days. If the board fails to produce an agreement between labor union and management negotiators, Gonzales said the USTFU will set on April 24 a strike vote, where union members will decide if they will temporarily stop working in protest of the CBA dispute.
If union members approve of the strike, the Secretary of Labor will have seven days to assume jurisdiction and attempt to resolve the dispute. Should this intervention still fail to produce a compromise, the USTFU said May 2 was the earliest that teachers could stage the strike.
“We remain hopeful that our beloved University will recognize the fairness of our demands and that a costly, prolonged arbitration is unnecessary and counterproductive to our shared commitment to harmony and industrial peace,” USTFU said in a March 15 statement.
UST had assured Thomasians that the deadlocked negotiations for a new salary and benefits deal would not disrupt classes.
“We assure the entire Thomasian community that this impasse will not disrupt classes or University operations,” UST said in a statement. “While the University pursues all available legal and ethical remedies, it remains open to dialogue with USTFU to uphold industrial peace.” Micah G. Pascua with reports from Mabel Anne B. Cardinez
