Silliman University professors in Dumaguete City go on strike

More than 180 teachers and staff members of Silliman University in Dumaguete City joined a protest rally on Wednesday.

Victor Aguilan, Silliman University Faculty Association (SUFA) external and grievance officer, told GMA News Online that 189 teachers voted to go on strike.

He said the length of time the teachers will participate in the protest action will depend on the action of the administration or the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The SUFA, in a statement sent to GMA News Online, said members decided to go on strike after parties failed to reach an agreement on seven deadlocked issues.

"The SU Administration cannot agree to the just, fair, and equitable demands of SUFA. It is worth noting that the collective bargaining negotiations between SU and SUFA, and the succeeding conciliation-mediation facilitated by the NCMB have been going on for more than one (1) year," the teachers said.

The SUFA is asking for the following:

• A one-time bonus of P38,000.00
• Across the board of P1,500.00 on the 2nd Year (effective June 1, 2017)
• Across the board of P2,300.00 on the 3rd Year (effective June 1, 2018)
• Christmas and Founder's Day bonus
• K+12 Transition Scholar’s Subsidy
• Reduction in the class sizes in the Early Childhood (K1 and K2) and Elementary (G1 and G2) levels
• Improvement in the retirement pay
• Administration’s proposal of a Productivity Enhancement Incentive (14th month pay) without any conditions

"The Union has indeed been very patient and reasonable to the SU Administration. However, it is unfortunate that this patience and rationality was never esteemed or valued by the University Administration. The Union was thus left without any other option but to go on strike," the SUFA members added.

Aguilan said similar protest actions were held in School Year 1991-1992 and SY 1996-1997

Admin reacts

Silliman University, in a statement sent to GMA News Online, said it respects the faculty members' right to stage a strike.

However, it urged the faculty union "to respect measures put in place by the Administration to ensure the continued administration of learning opportunities to its students through adaptive measures."

It added that the university, like other universities in the country "is still adjusting to the financial implications of the K+12 program," but it "offers salary increases, bonuses, and other benefits that are prudent."

The university administration said it is "receptive to the welfare of and security of jobs and opportunities for the other sectors in our immediate constituency, not only for over the next three school years."

"The Administration has been earnest in reaching a mutually beneficial Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the faculty union. Its offer is guided by what the University can afford, what will not compromise the sustainability of overall operations, and what based on actual and projected revenues is prudent, especially with the decline in enrollment revenues brought about by the K+12 program," it said.

Around P218 million goes to the salaries and benefits of 407 faculty members, the university said.

"On top of this, the Administration has proposed a final offer totaling Php63 million for the next three school years (SY 2016-2019), with around Php57 million allotted for salary increases, bonuses, and other benefits," it said.

The administration said the next CBA review will be done after SY 2018-2019 and "new increases and improved benefits will be demanded for and offered."

Classes go on

Meanwhile, the university through Office of Information and Publications Director Mark Raygan E. Garcia announced that classes will proceed as scheduled according to the school's official Facebook page.

The post dated July 18, 2017 says: "In response to queries from students and parents on the status of classes, due to rumors that the faculty union will stage a strike tomorrow, Silliman University reiterates that class schedules remain unchanged."

"As earlier issued in an advisory, the Administration has made preparations, which include adaptive measures, to ensure the continued learning of our students. Learning activities will continue as scheduled tomorrow and on other days."

Students demand immediate action

Silliman University Student Government (SUSG), for its part, demanded that administrators resolve the dispute with SUFA immediately as they have been caught between the crossfire of the ongoing issues.

"As students, we feel for the struggle of our teachers and we believe that their claims are justified. We demand for the administration to take immediate action in settling the dispute with SUFA for the sake of the students who breathe life into the university, prove to us students that we are being led towards the right way instead of misleading us with figures, and that the truth can be upheld throughout this whole situation for a better quality of life for all concerned," SUSG said in a statement posted in their Facebook account.

The student body also claimed that the university's administration has given them a kid-glove treatment regarding the matter. 

They added that the quality of education "should not be compromised merely because the Silliman University Administration refuses to acknowledge the claims of its faculty."

"Fundamentally, the backbone or lifeblood of Silliman University lies in its teachers and its students. We students contribute greatly to the University's coffers while the teachers are primarily the ones who ascertain that Silliman University lives up to its reputation as an institution providing quality, competent and holistic Christian education," SUSG said. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/BAP/KG, GMA News