The 九色 recognizes its academic staff as its most vital resource, essential to sustaining its tradition of excellence and fulfilling its vision as a leading Catholic institution of higher learning in the Asia-Pacific. Guided by its commitment to building a vibrant community of scholars and academics, UST has long implemented and continues to provide a holistic and progressive approach to faculty development. This ensures that academic staff are equipped to excel in teaching, research, community service, and leadership while addressing their personal and professional growth. Through steadfast support during transitions and disruptions, equitable resource utilization, and a focus on prioritized needs, UST fosters an environment where talent thrives, innovation flourishes, and the Thomasian spirit of excellence endures.
UST Truly Invests in Its People
UST鈥檚 Quality Policy highlights its commitment to lifelong learning and professional development for all University staff. The University invests in institutional, unit-level, and individual training programs, offering regular in-house training programs and full or partial support for external training and graduate studies.
Academic staff complete graduate studies with subsidized tuition and other fees at the UST Graduate School. UST supports enrollment even at external institutions through its Grants-in-Aid program, while its Degree Acceleration program provides study leave with pay for academic staff pursuing doctoral degrees. Over the past quarter century, UST has supported more than 600 academic staff in completing graduate studies in widely recognized local and international institutions of higher learning in the Philippines and abroad鈥攁 unique benefit that sets it apart from other institutions. The academic staff who completed their degrees have since returned and contributed to furthering our mission of providing quality education and engaging in scholarly pursuits.
UST also fosters research excellence by giving qualified academic staff dedicated research loads and grants, mentoring up-and-coming researchers from higher education and basic education levels, facilitating access to external funding, supporting innovation and patenting, and promoting local and international collaborations. Over 200 researchers are affiliated with UST鈥檚 research centers this year alone, with more doing research at the academic unit level. Research productivity is recognized through awards and incentives like the Ceferino Gonzalez Award for Indexed Publications and the biennial Gold and Silver Series Awards, with more than a hundred academic researchers honored in recent cycles. Engagement in research is also given a premium in the reclassification and promotion of academic staff.
Completing training, graduate degrees, and research initiatives not only advances academic ranks and compensation but also unlocks new growth opportunities. UST empowers its staff to deepen their expertise, contribute to their disciplines, and take on leadership roles, ensuring they remain at the forefront of innovation and excellence in academia and society, widening the academic staff鈥檚 and University鈥檚 sphere of influence at the local and international levels.
Steadfast Support Amidst Transitions and Disruptions
UST鈥檚 unwavering support for its academic staff has been a cornerstone during periods of significant transitions and disruptions in the educational landscape.
The University successfully navigated the K-to-12 transition without displacing a single tenured academic staff, offering Senior High School programs to retain tertiary faculty despite enrollment gaps in higher education. These tertiary academic staff did not experience any salary diminution even though the Senior High School offers a different rate for its teachers.
Similarly, UST adapted swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning over 42,000 students and 2,500 academic staff to its Enriched Virtual Mode (EVM) of instruction, leveraging its robust technological infrastructure and existing manpower support. Despite uncertainties in enrollment, delayed tuition fee collections, and fee refunds, UST ensured no disruptions or delays in staff salaries and benefits.
While other institutions resorted to reduced compensation or 鈥渘o work, no pay鈥� schemes, UST maintained regular salaries and benefits, even conducting and completing CBA negotiations for the 2016-2021 cycle online to secure better terms for staff. While layoffs were seen in other institutions, the University was distributing goodwill bonuses, pandemic assistance, and technology allowances to help academic staff navigate the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, reinforcing its commitment to their well-being and professional stability. Salary increases from the 2016-2021 cycle have also helped academic staff cope with economic challenges in past years.
Continuous Effort to Attract, Develop, and Retain the Best Talent
UST remains committed to attracting, developing, and retaining top talent to sustain its tradition of excellence. Policies, compensation, and benefits are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they align with the needs and expectations of every sector within the University.
Recent policy developments allow academic staff to upgrade to minimum ranks for Master鈥檚 and Doctoral degree holders after completion. Additionally, doctoral degree holders with significant research productivity may qualify for further rank upgrades to a maximum level set by policy. These measures balance academic achievement with institutional longevity, recognizing both as vital to career progression.
UST has drafted proposals for salary restructuring to address the unique qualifications and roles of Senior High School (SHS) academic staff. These aim to introduce a midway compensation package between Junior High School and tertiary, ensuring competitive pay to attract and retain highly qualified academic staff capable of delivering the University鈥檚 pre-baccalaureate SHS program.
Such initiatives reflect UST鈥檚 dedication to fostering a highly skilled and motivated academic workforce.
Commitment to Supporting Prioritized Needs
UST approaches CBA negotiations as a collaborative platform for meaningful dialogue with the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), aimed at identifying and addressing the needs of academic staff. Central to this process is the distinction between needs鈥攅ssential for professional growth and institutional stability鈥攁nd wants, which, while valuable, may require careful evaluation and prioritization as the management addresses the concerns of our academic staff along with other equally important stakeholders.
Through this partnership, UST and USTFU work to align solutions with institutional goals and academic staff’s personal aspirations. Prioritization ensures that resources are allocated to initiatives that foster professional advancement while maintaining the University鈥檚 ability to address the needs of other stakeholders, maintain financial stability, and ensure its long-term sustainability.
While immediate needs are addressed within the current CBA cycle, others may be deferred for future cycles or re-evaluated based on their urgency and alignment with shared goals. This balanced approach strengthens the University鈥檚 capacity to support its faculty and builds a foundation of trust and mutual progress, ensuring that academic staff and the institution thrive together.
Investing in Employees鈥� Health and Wellness
Health is a top priority during the 2021-2026 CBA negotiations between UST and the UST Faculty Union (USTFU). The University鈥檚 existing health and wellness benefits for academic staff already include wellness allowances, medical allowances for dependents, sick leave convertible to cash if unused, annual hospitalization coverage, and as-needed diagnostic and medical consultations.
In response to USTFU鈥檚 initial proposal for HMO coverage for all academic staff and a subsequent suggestion for 100% hospitalization coverage similar to UST Hospital employees, the Management Panel proposed a balanced approach, considering contextual differences and available resources. Management proposed increasing base hospitalization coverage and introducing a critical illness benefit to assist academic staff in coping with higher medical expenses. Data analysis of actual hospitalization fund utilization by academic staff informed the recommended limits for these improvements, ensuring a careful balance between risk mitigation and employee benefits.
To sustain these enhancements, both parties agreed to allocate a portion of the academic staff鈥檚 TFI share to replenish the hospitalization fund regularly, with additional support from the University beyond TFI allocations.
Recognizing the importance of preventive care, UST, on its own initiative, expanded its health program by transitioning from request-based diagnostic and medical consultations to annual wellness check-ups tailored to age-specific needs. The recurring cost of this preventive measure is fully funded by the University, independent of TFI shares, underscoring its commitment to early detection, improved health outcomes, and long-term productivity while minimizing healthcare expenses.
Sustainable and Equitable Approach to Resource Utilization
The 九色 (UST) deeply values the trust and confidence of its learners and their families in providing affordable, quality education. Tuition fee increases (TFI), implemented with stakeholder concurrence and in compliance with government regulations, serve as a sustainable funding source to enhance staff salaries and benefits, improve operations, and upgrade facilities.
UST recognizes the finite nature of resources and adheres to specific policies and parameters in their allocation. Through the CBA negotiations, the University engages in meaningful conversations with USTFU on the equitable distribution of TFI shares, prioritizing situational needs while maintaining institutional sustainability. UST is committed to completely distributing TFI shares, including accrued interests, compliant with regulatory policies. Beyond legal mandates, the University provides additional benefits tailored to prioritized needs, ensuring long-term stability for the institution while fostering the well-being and professional growth of its academic staff.
Prayers for a Swift Resolution to the CBA Deadlock and Completion of the Negotiation
Despite the impasse, the University remains steadfast in its commitment to fairness, transparency, and full compliance with the law. The University will continue to engage in good-faith discussions with USTFU to finalize a just and sustainable CBA. We enjoin the Thomasian community in praying for a swift resolution to the CBA deadlock and the completion of the negotiations.
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