MEMBERS of the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) on Wednesday, June 11, voted to ratify a new salary and benefits deal with UST management, a process that took a year of negotiations, a deadlock and notice of strike, and government mediation.
A total of 1,410 faculty members, or nearly 97% of the 1,456 votes cast, ratified the 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which will be in effect until July 31, 2026. Meanwhile, 30 voted against the deal, while 16 votes were deemed invalid.
In a message to union members on Wednesday night, USTFU President Emerito Gonzales said the strong approval reflected the faculty’s solidarity.
“This overwhelming approval rate of nearly 97% among valid votes represents not only a strong mandate for the agreement, but a historic moment of unity and strength for USTFU,” Gonzales said.
“The result sends a clear and powerful message: the membership is engaged, resolute, and united in advancing our rights and welfare.”
Gonzales also described the agreement as a “hard-won” deal, but reiterated the union’s commitment to push for more gains in the upcoming renegotiation phase.
“This CBA, while hard-won, is not perfect. It is one more step on the long path toward justice and a caring workplace,” Gonzales said in a June 10 general assembly. “Thus, let me announce today that within two weeks after ratification, USTFU will submit its formal proposal for the renegotiation of the remaining two years of the CBA.”
“CBA ratification is not the end of negotiation. Implementation is where the real work begins. Do not expect management to implement this agreement exactly as we envision it unless we hold them to it. That responsibility is ours.”
The online referendum was held via Google Forms from 8 a.m. on June 10 until 5 p.m. on June 11.
Ratification came less than two weeks after the CBA was signed on May 30 by the UST and USTFU negotiating panels, led by Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta and Gonzales, respectively.
Among the key provisions of the new CBA is the 100% hospitalization coverage for full-time faculty members under the newly created Pope Francis Hospitalization and Medical Benefit Fund.
Should the total annual medical costs exceed P10 million, reimbursement will shift to a tiered scheme:
- 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.
The new CBA also lowers the emergency loan interest rate for tenured academic staff to 4% from 6% and raises the maximum loan amount to P50,000 from P20,000. Non-teaching academic staff will also be allowed two additional days vacation leave days.
Faculty members are set to receive a total of P220 million in tuition increase shares from Academic Years 2021-2022 to 2023-2024, with disbursement tentatively scheduled between July 31 and Aug. 15.
Gonzales emphasized that the deal was reached through open dialogue.
“I am proud to say that this was the most transparent CBA negotiation in our union’s history. No backdoor deals. No hidden settlements. Everything was reported, scrutinized, and collectively decided upon,” he said.
Talks for the 2021-2026 UST faculty CBA marked the first in 36 years to require government intervention, with the union filing a notice of strike with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) on March 25.
It took eight NCMB conferences before both sides reached a compromise deal.
The last major breakdown in UST faculty CBA talks occurred in 1989, resulting in a strike and the dismissal of 16 union officials, which forced then-Labor Secretary Ruben Torres to craft a compromise CBA.
In 2014, the USTFU also declared a deadlock but managed to resolve it through backchannel negotiations.
USTFU almost proceeded with a strike vote on May 15 but called it off after seeing “encouraging signs” in the negotiations. On May 20, the parties agreed on a compromise under the supervision of the NCMB.
“It took declaring a deadlock. It took filing a notice of strike. It took the real risk of rupture to bring us to the point of resolution. And it took all of us — standing together — to make all these happen,” Gonzales said.
“From this struggle, we learned again that a union must have the courage to speak truth to power.”
Union and management negotiators are set to return to the bargaining table again in August during the renegotiation period, where they will revisit economic perks, including the salary restructuring for Senior High School faculty.
“We move forward only through gentle but firm and unequivocal assertion of our rights, our just share, and our value as partners in the life of this University,” Gonzales said. with reports from Marco Luis D. Beech, Sydney Venice V. Berba, Micah G. Pascua, Amanda Luella A. Rivera, Ella Mae A. Sison
