The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Union of Faculty Members and UA&P Union of Allied Employees submitted a strike vote report to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) on October 27. The two unions responded to the university administration’s refusal to grant their demands for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions.

The unions engaged in negotiations with the administration at the NCMB level for four months, but the university remained firm and unresponsive to their appeals. In June, negotiations for the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached a deadlock.

The teachers and employees practiced restraint amid the administration’s obstinacy after a deadlock declaration. The two unions entered the NCMB’s “preventive mediation” process to try to resolve the dispute until they filed a Notice to Strike during the first week of August.

The two unions conducted their strike vote during the last week of September. Nearly 90% of union members agreed to strike in response to the administration’s wage suppression.

In their final NCMB-mediated meeting with the administration on October 24, UA&P made no new offer except for free meals and a 1–2% salary increase over three years. This prompted UA&PUFM and UA&PUAE to submit their strike vote. Under state laws, the unions can begin their strike seven days after submission.

The two unions asserted that the administration’s offer was insufficient and rejected its claims that the university lacked the capacity to meet their demands. They said that this strike serves as their final effort to defend the people who embody education principles that improve the university.

The union asserted the legitimacy of their labor issues and these must be addressed since they affect the teachers, employees at their families.

UA&PUAE President Keith Panganiban clarified that the unions do not intend to disrupt or divide UA&P but to restore balance, justice, and respect for every worker who contributes to the university’s growth.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Private Schools expressed support for the two unions’ struggle. “We commend the unions’ steadfast efforts to secure long-overdue improvements in salaries, benefits, and working conditions—demands that are both just and urgent amid worsening inflation and economic hardship faced by teachers nationwide,” the group stated.

ACT-Private Schools called on fellow teachers, education workers, and unions in private schools to unite with the struggle of UA&PUFM and UA&PUAE. “Let us continue the collective fight for justice and fair treatment for all education workers,” it said.