AFTER over a year of negotiations and weeks of government mediation, UST management and the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) have finally reached an agreement on the disputed 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), producing a compromise deal on May 20.
In a joint statement on Tuesday night after the final meeting under the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), both parties announced that a compromise had been reached and would be executed immediately.
“This settlement marks a significant step forward for both parties, reflecting a shared commitment to dialogue, mutual respect, and constructive resolution. More importantly, it reinforces our unity and shared purpose of advancing the interests of the academic community,” the statement, posted on UST’s official Facebook page, read.
“As we move ahead, both UST and USTFU remain guided by our common goal — to uphold academic excellence and serve the best interest of our students.”
Full details of the compromise deal have yet to be released by either party, though USTFU President Emerito Gonzales told the Varsitarian on Tuesday night that UST management had agreed with the NMCB-amended proposal for 100% hospitalization coverage.
Revising the USTFU’s initial proposal, the NCMB had suggested a scheme where the union’s total hospitalization expenses up to P10 million would be granted full coverage, and costs exceeding the amount would follow a tiered scheme for reimbursement:
- P10 to 15 million cost = P750,000 reimbursement;
- P15 to 21 million = P500,000 reimbursement; and
- More than P21 million = P150,000 regular confinement and P350,000 for critical care.
READ: Talks show ‘encouraging signs’ toward compromise between UST, faculty
Other disputed provisions before the compromise were the timeframe for releasing the faculty’s mandatory 70% share of tuition increases, the tertiary rank upgrade fund, and the expanded vacation leave for non-teaching staff.
On Tuesday morning, another significant breakthrough was reached when UST released the first tranche of the faculty’s long-awaited tuition hike share worth P27.8 million. This represents teachers’ legally mandated 70% share of tuition increases from Academic Year (AY) 2020-2021.
“The P21.8 million was released today at 10 a.m. The P6 million is set aside to replenish the medical benefits after ratification (of the collective bargaining agreement),” Gonzales told the Varsitarian.
The agreement to release the amount, reached on April 24, marked the most significant breakthrough under the guidance of government mediators following four meetings and confirmed agreements on three contested provisions.
During the second NCMB meeting on April 7, both parties agreed on benefits for faculty in the National Service Training Program (NSTP), lower emergency loan interest, and a timeframe to discuss 11th- and 12th-month pay.
NSTP facilitators will receive an additional P2,000 per term, while the emergency loan interest will be lowered to 4% from 6%.
The 11th and 12th-month pay will be discussed again in August when the proposed CBA enters renegotiation for economic benefits.
Also deferred for discussion during the renegotiation was the P10.5 million salary restructuring fund for Senior High School faculty members, which was excluded from the current talks to give way for smoother negotiation.
READ: Senior high teachers ‘willing to wait’ for salary restructuring to hasten CBA talks
Disagreements over the UST faculty CBA escalated into a legitimate industrial dispute on March 25, when USTFU filed a strike notice with NCMB.
This followed a vote among union members, with a majority choosing to deny UST management’s final offer and raise the deadlocked negotiations to government mediators.
UST management called on the Secretary of Labor to assume jurisdiction a day after, which, if granted, would have prevented any strike or lockout.
Union negotiators initially planned a strike vote for May 15 due to continued disagreements with UST management over four economic provisions, but this was deferred to “give this development a chance to unfold.”
