By The Weekly Sillimanian
Teachers are the pillar of academic institutions, all of whom deserve to be compensated with equitable pay for their work.
The recent dispute between the Silliman University (SU) administration and the SU Faculty Association (SUFA) for salary increases has sparked much conversation, especially on the demands of SUFA being met with silence by the administration.
SUFA’s demand for equal pay has been a recurring request that dates back to 1996, with both parties agreeing to renew their negotiations every five years through a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). When these negotiations found themselves in a “deadlock” in the years of 1997 and 2017, SUFA organized strikes that lasted for several days, with a potential to happen again this school year.
This long history of the faculty’s call for higher pay only reinforces that the “justifiable salary” is still not yet accessible to them even after all those years spent in negotiation.
This year, the university only offered salary increases to higher-ranking administrators while the SUFA’s proposal of a salary increase was rejected and instead was only offered an initial ₱300 increase. This initial increase is a considerably small amount, given that the university has garnered an estimated more than P492 million total excess of revenues and over P943 million net cash flow over the past 10 years.
These excess funds should be equally distributed to all employees and not just be exclusive to high-ranking officials. The faculty and personnel, who serve as the front-liners of the university, deserve a negotiation that benefits every member of SU.
A banner that says, “We love you, Silliman. Please love us back” has been carried by SUFA members during their gatherings. This signifies the union demands simply for the university to equally distribute the available resources to them— the backbone of the institution.
SUFA has taken measures for their requests to be heard. However, until now, the administration is yet to release any statement that acknowledges the issues at hand. The silence from the administration further strains their delicate relationship with SUFA and places them in a position of apathy.
The Weekly Sillimanian stands firm on the principle of equity, especially to the backbone of the academe to be compensated fairly for their works and efforts to make SU a pinnacle of education.
There is an interdependence between the teachers and the institution, and one cannot survive without the other. The deadlock of SUFA and the SU Administration would only result in the instability of the university because the needs of faculty— the biggest asset of the institution— are not met.
We urge the administration to resolve the labor disputes by openly communicating with the union to de-escalate the growing concerns and address the issues of granting equal wages for each employee to ensure the continuous existence of the university as well as the welfare of their teachers and personnel.
