NEGOTIATIONS between the UST management and the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) remain deadlocked as the two panels were unable to reach a compromise on the salary and benefits deal during the “cooling off” period that lapsed on March 21.
Union and management negotiators had five working days beginning March 14, when the former made the deadlock official, to “offer options to resolve the issue,” according to negotiation ground rules.
USTFU President Emerito Gonzales told the Varsitarian that the management panel had not reached out to the union as of Friday evening, eliminating the chances of a compromise before the union proceeds with the filing of a notice or strike.
Gonzales said the USTFU would file the strike notice with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) of the Department of Labor and Employment on Tuesday, March 25, at 1 p.m.
This strike notice allows the NCMB to mediate during future negotiations.
The USTFU originally declared a deadlock in negotiations for 11 CBA provisions, though this was contested by UST management, saying there were only two items that “the parties are still seeking to arrive at a settlement.”
READ: UST admin: Only 2 provisions unresolved in faculty salary, benefits deal
Gonzales said the union would only reply to this dispute once the NCMB steps in.
In a statement on March 15, the UST administration said it would continue to pursue “legal and ethical remedies” to resolve the impasse, vowing to “remain open to dialogue with USTFU to uphold industrial peace.”
“Despite earnest efforts from both parties to reach a just and fair agreement, they were unable to resolve two key issues,” UST said on social media. “We stand in solidarity with all University stakeholders in hoping and praying for a just and swift resolution to the CBA deadlock.”
READ: EXPLAINER: What happens when collective bargaining talks end up in a deadlock?
If the NCMB fails to produce a compromise within 30 days, Gonzales said the USTFU will set a strike vote on April 24, where union members will decide if they will temporarily stop working in protest of the dispute.
If union members favor the strike, the Secretary of Labor will have seven days to assume jurisdiction and, for the final time, attempt to resolve the dispute. The earliest possible date for a strike is on May 2, according to USTFU.
The Varsitarian tried to get the side of the UST management panel through its head, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta, but she has yet to respond as of press time.
‘Just share for all’
During the five-working-day cooling-off period, Gonzales urged USTFU members to show solidarity with the union by temporarily updating their social media display photos to a black image bearing the union’s logo and the text “A just share for all.”
RELATED: Union chief admits to worries within ranks, maps next steps after deadlock in talks with admin
Nagkaisa, one of the country’s biggest labor coalitions, expressed support for the USTFU’s calls, demanding the UST not to “exploit loopholes” and release the faculty’s share of the tuition increases.
“Withholding legally mandated salary increases amounting to P220 million isn’t just unfair, it’s economic coercion. The UST faculty deserves the immediate and unconditional release of funds that are rightfully theirs,” the coalition said in a statement on Facebook.
Nagkaisa chair and former senatorial candidate Sonny Matula said the deadlock puts pressure on UST management because of the possibility of holding a strike where unionized teachers would stop teaching.
“Pressure ‘yan sa management ng UST ibig sabihin. Kasi ‘yong strike is the last weapon of the union to force management, or to persuade [the] management to agree,” Matula told the Varsitarian.
Matula said he hoped the parties could strike an agreement before the Secretary of Labor assumes jurisdiction, as this could further delay the ratification of the CBA, and subsequently, the release of teachers’ benefits.
“Marami naman tayong na-experience na ganyang mga delay pero as much as possible, hinahanapan natin pang paraan na hindi na tayo pupunta sa mahabang pag-uusap na naapektuhan ‘yong ating productivity at ang ating pamilya,” he said.
There have been two instances of a deadlocked faculty CBA in UST, though both eventually resulted in a compromise: in 1989, when faculty staged a strike before a compromise deal was produced, and in 2014, when the impasse was resolved through backchannel talks. with reports from Frenchshield Shayne G. Delovieres
