Silliman University faculty strike ends as new CBA gets drafted

DUMAGUETE CITY — The Silliman University Faculty Association (Sufa) and the university administration started drafting a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), following successful negotiations on Friday night that ended a three-day faculty strike.

The breakthrough in the negotiations was announced following meetings initiated by the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council in Negros Oriental between the administration and the faculty union.

The TIPC is composed of Gregorio Uymatiao Jr., representing the management sector; Felizardo Calimpong, representing the labor sector; Labor and Employment Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga; Labor and Employment Officer Maritess Mercado; National Conciliation Mediation Board Regional Director Isobel Tabaniag; and Mario Manuelito Say, conciliation mediator.

In a statement, the TIPC said Silliman agreed to review its offer, which would be now based on actual enrollment and revenues this year. The original offer was based on projected enrollment and revenues.

The TIPC said the recomputation allowed the university to improve its package offer for 407 regular academic personnel for three years in school years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019.

Salaries and benefits for the academic personnel alone will now be over P230 million per year.

This offer was accepted by Sufa, which agreed to immediately lift its strike.

Other details of the new CBA were not immediately available.

After the conciliation meeting, Prof. Jan Antoni Credo, Sufa president, thanked the university and the TIPC for the breakthrough in the CBA.

But he warned that the struggle was not completely over until the CBA was signed.

Sufa declared a strike on July 19 after both parties failed to reach an agreement on seven deadlock issues discussed through months of negotiations. /atm

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