By Kate Giordan Flores
Agreement halts impending strike
The Silliman University (SU) administration and SU Faculty Association (SUFA) agreed on three major provisions of a new salary increase and additional benefits in a meeting at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board on July 9.
In a Facebook post, SU detailed the inclusions in the Supplemental Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), affirming the June 5 decision of the Secretary of Labor and Employment (SOLE).
Academic personnel will receive a monthly salary increase of ₱1,400 effective June 1, 2024, and ₱1,600 for June 1 this year.
Both parties agreed on granting its personnel an annual rice subsidy of ₱9,100 and ₱12,100 for the fourth and fifth years of the CBA, respectively.
Additional benefits included a one-time ₱10,000 contract signing bonus and a teaching performance incentive for faculty who achieve “excellent” and “very good” ratings.
Moreover, compensation was also approved for teachers handling excess students and a “risk pay” for those handling toxic chemicals and wildlife.
The agreements were detailed in the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Notice of Order, which Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma signed on June 5.
It noted that the university has a “positive financial trajectory and position” to implement “reasonable enhancements” on its employees’ terms and conditions.
According to SUFA President Jonathan Te, the union used all “legal remedies” available to maintain the objectives of the CBA while maintaining its “political desires.”
“We do hope that the administration would really take the time to put themselves in our shoes and understand what the union is trying to convey,” he said.
Both parties also reached a resolution raised by SUFA regarding the shortened mid-year vacation break during a formal grievance conference on June 24.
The SU administration further agreed to grant a one-month compensation to all teaching faculty who were required to report during their 30-day vacation break due to changes in the academic calendar.
However, Te mentioned that the remaining deadlock items will be left to the parties’ discretion for “sound policy and decision making.”
SUFA lifts strike notice
Following the agreement, SUFA announced the withdrawal of its Notice of Strike, which the union had previously filed last July 3.
This came after the SU administrators failed to attend the conference called by the NCMB last July 2, which the union described as a “violation of its duty to bargain collectively and negotiate in bad faith.”
It also filed a Preventive Mediation Case before the NCMB, alleging the administration’s refusal to comply with the SOLE decision.
Contrary to the union’s claim, the administration recounted the timeline of events and stated that it still has a pending Motion for Execution before the SOLE after finding out that certain provisions “did not fully align” with the labor department’s decision.
“It is prudent to allow the process to proceed before the proper forum rather than pursuing parallel proceedings that may lead to duplication and confusion,” the University wrote.
SUFA Vice President Karl Villarmea shared that the union will ensure that the terms of the supplemental CBA are “faithfully followed and implemented” and that all benefits are “distributed properly.”
“We are, after all, the vanguards of the interests of the academic personnel. This is our primary task at this time, to work for the well-being and welfare of all academic personnel of the university,” he said.
The two parties will convene again on July 14 to formally sign the supplemental CBA.
