WHILE UST may be considered part of an industry indispensable to the national interest, discussions for the intervention of the labor chief in a dispute over a new faculty salary and benefits deal are premature, a top government mediator said.
In a letter to the Varsitarian dated April 8, Maria Lacsamana-Cansio, executive director of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), said the industrial dispute in UST was “relatively recent.”
UST management formally called on the Secretary of Labor to assume jurisdiction over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) deadlock on March 26, immediately after the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) filed a notice of strike with the NCMB on March 25.
“While the University may be considered an institution belonging to an industry indispensable to national interest, it is too early to discuss the possibility of assuming jurisdiction over the dispute,” Lacsamana-Cansio told the Varsitarian.
The NCMB director emphasized that the “Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch-NCR is facilitating conferences to encourage parties to negotiate and explore areas of possible settlement.”
READ: USTFU says UST seeking labor secretary’s intervention in dispute over salaries and benefits
Assumption of jurisdiction allows the Secretary of Labor to resolve disagreements in the CBA through compulsory arbitration. It also quashes any planned lockout or strike, which USTFU said may be held as early as May 2.
For the labor chief to act on the request, the industry in which the dispute arose must be considered “indispensable to the national interest,” such as the hospital sector, electric power industry, water supply services, and air traffic control.
UST is one of the largest higher education institutions in the Philippines, serving over 40,000 students and employing approximately 2,000 faculty members. It has operations in General Santos City and Santa Rosa, Laguna.
Union officials expect the labor chief’s intervention after conducting a strike vote — tentatively set for April 24 — or if the NCMB fails to resolve the dispute within 30 days.
Both parties have attended three conciliation conferences so far: on March 28 and on April 7 and 15.
‘Far from settlement’
In their second meeting, union and management negotiators reached an agreement on three provisions: the benefits for National Service Training Program (NSTP) facilitators, lower emergency loan interest, and a timeframe to discuss 11th- and 12th-month pay.
However, seven provisions remain unresolved, including the union’s demand for 100% hospitalization coverage and a P26-million rank upgrade and salary restructuring scheme.
READ: UST admin, faculty union reach deal on 3 issues
Lacsamana-Cansio said that “while the case may be far from settlement, the Department still hopes that the parties will find solutions beneficial to the interests of the University and the employees.”
“We assure you that the team handling the case is exerting its utmost effort to assist the University and its Union in arriving at a mutually amicable resolution to the present labor dispute,” she said.
If the Secretary of Labor assumes jurisdiction, he is mandated to render a decision within 30 days of receiving the case. It will take effect 10 days after both parties receive a copy of the ruling.
