Faculty unions back NU teachers’ organizing bid

MANILA, Philippines | September 3, 2026 — Two faculty labor organizations have expressed support for teachers at National University (NU) who are seeking to establish an independent faculty union, urging the university administration to respect their right to organize and ensure that the process is free from intimidation, discrimination or interference.

The Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (CoTeSCUP) and the University of Santo Tomas Faculty Union (USTFU) issued separate statements of solidarity as the organizing effort at NU-Manila moves forward.

In a statement dated August 31, CoTeSCUP said a union would give NU teachers a collective voice on concerns including wages and benefits, workload, security of tenure, promotion, due process, grievance procedures, professional development and workplace welfare.

The council stressed that its support for unionization does not mean opposing the university, saying teachers should be able to engage management collectively and without fear.

USTFU similarly called for the establishment of a “genuine, autonomous, and independent faculty union” at NU. It expressed concern over the use of management-led mechanisms such as Faculty-Management Councils, arguing that such bodies do not have the independence of a labor organization in negotiating with management.

Both groups called on NU management to respect faculty members’ freedom of association.

The organizing effort has also involved the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), according to documents circulated among NU faculty.

In an August 19 email, NU Associate Professor Domar C. Alviar reminded faculty members of Section 22 of the NU Employee Manual, which recognizes freedom of association and states that participation in an association should not become the basis for disciplinary or administrative action.

In a follow-up email dated August 27, Alviar said faculty members would continue documenting statements or actions that they believed could constitute interference with their organizing rights while a petition before the DOLE mechanism was ongoing.

Philippine labor law protects the right of employees in educational institutions to form, join or assist labor organizations of their choice for collective bargaining. The Labor Code also prohibits employers from restraining, coercing, discriminating against or unduly interfering with employees exercising that right.

The 1987 Constitution likewise guarantees workers the rights to self-organization, collective bargaining and negotiations, peaceful concerted activities, security of tenure and humane conditions of work.

The union campaign comes amid concerns raised over separate employment disputes involving NU faculty.

One case cited in documents supporting the organizing effort involves former NU faculty member Debbie Francisco Dianco. A petition before the Court of Appeals, docketed as SP-189349, is listed as submitted for completion, according to the documents circulated with the faculty statements.

The materials also cite the case of Jose Mario de Vega, identified as an NU Associate Professor who was dismissed after more than two years of service. The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights said in July 2025 that his dismissal raised concerns over contractualization and security of tenure and called for a government investigation.

The issue of faculty security of tenure has also gained legal context following a 2026 Supreme Court ruling involving Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba. The Court held that an employee who has not expressly agreed to early retirement cannot be retired before reaching 65, stressing that acceptance of an early-retirement option must be explicit, voluntary, free and uncompelled.

The ruling is relevant to the broader labor debate because security of tenure is among the concerns being raised by faculty organizers.

National University traces its history to August 1, 1900, when Don Mariano Fortunato Jhocson founded Colegio Filipino in Quiapo, Manila. The university says it was established as a non-sectarian and co-educational institution and has since grown into a multi-campus university.

NU has also previously maintained a Faculty-Management Council. In 2022, the university reported that its Faculty-Management Council signed a memorandum of commitment facilitated by DOLE’s National Conciliation and Mediation Board, involving representatives of management and faculty.

Such consultation mechanisms, however, do not remove employees’ statutory right to organize. DOLE identifies interference with the formation or administration of a labor organization as a form of unfair labor practice.

As of September 3, there was no publicly reported confirmation that an NU faculty union had been formally established or recognized. The organizing effort and related labor proceedings remain ongoing.

For the faculty organizations supporting the initiative, the issue extends beyond wages and benefits to the right of teachers to have an independent voice in matters affecting their employment, professional welfare and academic freedom.

The developments at NU now place renewed attention on how universities balance management prerogatives with the legally protected right of academic workers to organize and participate collectively in decisions affecting their working lives.