THE PRESIDENT of the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) has begun preparations to negotiate a new salary and benefits deal for 2026 to 2031 to avoid delays experienced in previous cycles.
Speaking before an online general assembly, reelected USTFU President Emerito Gonzales said negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering the next five years would be the top priority of the first 100 days of his new term.
“Negotiating the CBA is not a side task of USTFU. It is one of our core responsibilities… We have learned from experience that delay is costly,” Gonzales said.
“It raises the cost of money. It weakens our bargaining position. And just as seriously, it breeds frustration, disunity, and distrust within the ranks of the union,” he added.
Delays in the CBA, a contract between management and unionized workers that lays down the terms and conditions of employment, have historically resulted in accumulated back wages given as one-time payouts.
Faculty have complained that, apart from depriving them of higher purchasing power, delays in salary adjustments lead to higher taxes, as the one-time payouts mean they will be taxed at a higher income bracket.
Gonzales said the union should continue to uphold “principled cooperation” during the negotiation.
“It is not silence. It is not weakness. It means we stand firmly for the rights and welfare of our members, but we do so without losing our capacity for dialogue, for seriousness, and for truth,” he said.
Gonzales told union members he had tapped individuals to serve on USTFU’s CBA research team, a move that would require the USTFU board’s approval.
“As we deepen our unity, we will also need your active participation in CBA-related activities—consultations, surveys, policy discussions, position development, and every effort needed to prepare the union well for the next round of bargaining,” he said.
Gonzales said faculty clubs would be “more active in the day-to-day affairs of USTFU” under his administration as he pushes for more consultation, organized feedback, and regular coordination.
“We want the clubs not merely informed after the fact, but engaged in the actual life of the union as partners in vigilance, mobilization, and problem-solving,” he said.
In an earlier interview with the Varsitarian, Gonzales said he would prioritize the CBA renegotiation, as well as a review of the union’s 1981 constitution and bylaws and its 2014 election code.
Under Article 253-A of the Philippine Labor Code, a CBA has a term of five years to set the terms and conditions of employment, such as salary increases, benefits, and working hours. Economic benefits are renegotiated mid-term.
Last year, the union reached a salary and benefits deal with UST management for 2021-2026 after a year of negotiations marked by a deadlock, a strike notice, and government mediation.
Under the deal for the final two years of the CBA, both sides agreed on May 22 to a baseline salary increase of 1.31% for AY 2024–2025 and 1.81% for AY 2025–2026.
