MANAGEMENT and the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) remain at odds over the release of teachers’ share in tuition hikes, as the 30-day mandatory intervention of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) over an industrial dispute nears its end.
In an April 19 statement, USTFU said it reiterated its demand for the immediate release of the P220-million allocation representing the faculty’s mandatory 70% share of tuition hikes during the third NCMB conciliation conference on April 15.
However, USTFU said UST management turned down the petition once more, citing Section 15.3.2 of the 2016-2021 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which states:
“Economic benefits under this Article, unless otherwise provided herein, are chargeable to the tuition fee increase share of Academic Staff.”
By law, faculty and staff are entitled to 70% of tuition hike collections.
UST has repeatedly vowed to release the teachers’ P246-million share of increases from Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022 to AY 2023-2024, but only under a ratified CBA, which can only be produced once the prevailing deadlock on key economic provisions is broken.
Union officials had been pining for the release since October 2024 but to no avail. In its latest appeal, USTFU said Section 26.6 of the CBA supports the immediate distribution of tuition hike shares, not their deferral.
READ: No collective bargaining deal, no salary hikes, UST tells faculty union
“Any undistributed excess amount coming from the tuition fee increase of a particular academic year shall be distributed in the next academic year,” the union said.
“The USTFU Panel reaffirmed that the release of the P220 million — or the full P246 million — is not a matter for negotiation, but a compliance issue and a test of good faith on the part of UST Management,” it continued.
USTFU said the UST administration vowed to consult with its principal on the P26.84-million collection from AY 2020–2021, and agreed to provide an updated computation of the tuition hike share for AY 2023–2024.
Extension of 30-day NCMB mediation possible
USTFU filed a notice of strike with the NCMB on March 25, triggering a 30-day conciliation period for both parties to reach a compromise with the guidance of government mediators.
Both parties have attended three conciliation conferences so far: on March 28 and on April 7 and 15. Union and management officials are set to meet again for the fourth and potentially final time on April 24.
Government mediators are given 30 days to resolve industrial disputes, though this is the minimum period and can be extended, according to USTFU.
The union had originally planned a strike vote on April 24.
With the conciliation period nearing its end, the USTFU panel said the conduct of a strike vote will depend greatly on developments in the upcoming meeting.
“We do not wish to preempt the proceedings. Our goal remains to resolve this impasse through good faith negotiations,” the USTFU panel said. “A decision to proceed with such an action ultimately lies in the hands of our faculty members. However, it is also in the hands of the UST Administration — if they respond with fairness and heed our reasonable demands, then such a course may no longer be necessary.”
“The future of this dispute depends on whether Management is willing to act with justice and urgency,” it added.
