THE UST Faculty Union (USTFU) and a teachers’ group have backed efforts by National University (NU) faculty members to form a labor union, urging the school administration to allow them to organize without interference.
USTFU said an independent union would give NU faculty members formal representation in negotiations over working conditions, policies and benefits and provide safeguards against institutional pressures that could affect academic freedom.
“A university’s integrity lies in how it treats its academic workforce. We call on the management of National University to respect labor rights, cease interference, and allow the faculty to freely organize,” USTFU said in a statement on Aug. 31.
“Through collective bargaining, faculty sit across management not as subordinates, but as equal partners with a legally recognized voice in determining their working environment,” it added.
NU, owned by the family of the late retail and banking tycoon Henry Sy Sr., is part of the SM Group’s network of businesses and institutions.
USTFU said NU instructors presently rely on management-led mechanisms such as faculty-management councils, which the union argued lack the independence and legal mandate to represent employees in collective bargaining.
“While consultation bodies offer a veneer of participation, they lack the legal standing and independence required to challenge unfair workplace practices or guarantee humane working conditions,” USTFU said.
The Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (CoTeSCUP) stressed workers’ constitutional right to self-organization and collective bargaining.
The teachers’ group, led by UST Department of Philosophy Asst. Prof. Rene Tadle, said unionization could create a more mature relationship between school administrators and faculty members through dialogue and collective bargaining.
“Unionization is therefore not an act against the University. It is an affirmation that those who help build the University deserve a meaningful voice in its future,” CoTeSCUP said in a Sept. 1 statement.
“A strong university does not fear the voice of its teachers. It listens to them, respects their rights, and works with them,” the council added.
CoTeSCUP urged NU to allow faculty members to organize without intimidation, retaliation or threats to their employment. Yuahn Zachary B. Guilas
