AFTER a month and a half of mediation, the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) is seeing “encouraging signs” in its dispute with UST management, with a settlement hinging on four provisions including full hospitalization coverage.
USTFU President Emerito Gonzales said the union was entering the final stretch of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with “cautious optimism,” as either a compromise deal or a strike vote is expected to result from the final National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) meeting on May 20.
“Encouraging signs have started to emerge, and for the first time in a while, we’re beginning to feel a sense of cautious optimism,” Gonzales told union members in a special general assembly on May 15.
Union negotiators initially planned a strike vote for May 15, but called it off after both parties agreed to meet again under the NCMB to hammer out a compromise on a new CBA, which covers salaries, benefits, and other terms and conditions of work.
“We believe it is in our best interest to give this development a chance to unfold,” Gonzales said.
Should UST grant the full hospitalization benefit, Gonzales said USTFU would be open to settling the CBA dispute.
“Open kami doon,” the union president told the Varsitarian when asked about the possibility of the hospitalization benefit being the last sticking point in the deal. “Iga-grant nila ‘yan together with the version ng NCMB. No problem sa amin.
Union and management remain at odds over four major provisions: the timeframe for releasing the faculty’s mandatory 70% share of tuition increases, the tertiary rank upgrade fund, the hospitalization benefit, and the expanded vacation leave for non-teaching staff.
USTFU proposed 100% coverage of hospitalization and medical expenses at UST Hospital. Such provision will revert to a tiered reimbursement scheme if cumulative expenses exceed P16 million at any point during the year.
Only a portion of hospitalization costs will be returned to USTFU under the tiered scheme:
- P16 to P17.5 million cost = P800,000 reimbursement;
- P17.51 to P20 million cost = P 600,000 reimbursement;
- P21 to P22 million cost = P500,000 reimbursement; and
- Beyond P22 million = Fixed P150,000 for regular illnesses and P350,000 for critical care.
Life-threatening emergency cases may qualify for P350,000 reimbursement, with an additional P100,000 subject to review of a joint committee, which will include management and union officials and medical and actuarial experts.
Within 30 days of the ratification of the new CBA, the committee will publish a list of elective procedures and those requiring pre-approval to ensure fund sustainability.
NCMB proposed an alternative scheme where hospitalization expenses up to P10 million will be granted full coverage, and costs exceeding the amount will 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 million for critical care.
The 100% hospitalization and medical benefit will undergo a two-year pilot run, with the joint committee tasked with drafting the implementing rules and regulations to ensure faculty needs are met while maintaining fund sustainability.
It will undergo review after three years to consider adjustments based on tuition hikes or other UST revenue sources. Annual evaluations of fund performance are also planned.
The fund is projected to last over 79 years if annual expenses remain within the P21-million cap.
USTFU proposed naming the fund “Pope Francis UST-USTFU Medical and Hospitalization Fund,” citing the late pontiff’s recognition of the need for modest wages while prioritizing medical and pension benefits.
If the union accepts the UST management’s final offer on May 20, a compromise agreement will be signed in the NCMB, followed by the signing and ratification of the 2021-2026 deal during a general assembly.
But if the offer is rejected, the union is expected to proceed with the strike vote, where 1,373 faculty members will either vote “yes,” meaning rejection of UST’s offer and support for a strike, or “no,” signaling preference for the signing of the long-delayed deal.
Faculty CBA talks have often been delayed. By law, economic provisions should already go through renegotiation midway into the term of the CBA, but the coverage of the 2021-2026 CBA is already in its penultimate year. with reports from Amador Denzel M. Teston
