Living Wage and Fair Compensation
BSU ensures that all employees receive compensation that supports a decent standard of living. The University implements the national government salary schedule pursuant to the Salary Standardization Law (Republic Act No. 6758), which establishes standardized compensation rates for government personnel and ensures salary progression based on position classification and responsibility (Republic Act No. 6758, 1989). The University follows salary schedules prescribed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM, n.d.), resulting in compensation levels that exceed regional minimum wage requirements.
The lowest-paid non-teaching personnel receive ₱15,530 per month, while the lowest-paid teaching personnel receive ₱31,165 per month. These rates substantially exceed the prevailing minimum wage established by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Cordillera Administrative Region (RTWPB-CAR, 2024). Furthermore, these salaries exceed poverty and living-income benchmarks reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA, 2023), demonstrating BSU’s commitment to ensuring a decent standard of living for all employees.
Freedom of Association and Collective Negotiation
BSU recognizes employees’ rights to freedom of association, self-organization, and collective negotiation through its registered Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA). The CNA formally recognizes the BSU Faculty Club, Inc. as the exclusive negotiating representative of rank-and-file employees and guarantees participation in matters affecting compensation, benefits, working conditions, and employee welfare (Benguet State University, 2024a).
The University’s labor-management framework is aligned with policies and guidelines issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC, n.d.), which recognize employees’ rights to representation and participation in workplace governance.
Equal Employment Opportunity and Inclusive Employment
BSU promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion through its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy (EEOP), which embeds non-discrimination principles in recruitment, promotion, training, performance evaluation, and rewards systems (Benguet State University, 2024b).
The policy supports compliance with key Philippine laws, including the Women in Development and Nation Building Act (Republic Act No. 7192, 1992), the Employment of Persons with Disabilities Act (Republic Act No. 10524, 2013), the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (Republic Act No. 8371, 1997), and the Solo Parents Welfare Act (Republic Act No. 8972, 2000). Institutional workforce records indicate that women comprise approximately 56% of permanent employees, Indigenous personnel comprise approximately 76% of employees, and persons with disabilities account for approximately 3% of permanent staff (Benguet State University, 2024c).
Elimination of Forced Labour, Human Trafficking, and Child Labour
BSU maintains institutional safeguards against forced labour, child labour, modern slavery, and workplace exploitation. The University adheres to the provisions of the Philippine Labor Code (Presidential Decree No. 442, 1974), Civil Service regulations, and institutional employee welfare policies. Through the CNA, employees are guaranteed security of tenure, just and humane working conditions, occupational health and safety protections, and access to grievance and legal assistance mechanisms (Benguet State University, 2024a).
These measures ensure that employment relationships are transparent, voluntary, merit-based, and consistent with human rights principles.
Protection of Workers Through Third-Party Providers
BSU extends labor rights protections to outsourced personnel through contractual requirements imposed on service providers. Procurement documents require contractors to comply with wage orders, labor laws, and employee benefit requirements applicable to their workforce (Benguet State University, 2024d). Service providers are required to provide salaries and benefits consistent with standards recognized by the Philippine Association of Detective and Protective Agency Operators (PADPAO, n.d.) and the wage regulations established by the RTWPB-CAR (2024).
Gender Equality and Equal Pay
BBSU systematically collects and maintains sex-disaggregated employment and compensation data to monitor gender representation and pay equity across all employment categories and salary grades (Benguet State University, 2024c).
The University employs 1,469 personnel, consisting of 877 women (59.7%) and 592 men (40.3%). Female employees are represented across all salary grades, including senior academic and leadership positions. Compensation practices are governed by the Salary Standardization Law (Republic Act No. 6758, 1989), which bases salaries on position classification rather than gender.
Monitoring is supported through the University’s Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System and institutional reporting requirements under the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710, 2009) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW, n.d.).
Employee Grievance and Redress Mechanisms
BSU maintains accessible mechanisms that allow employees to raise concerns regarding employment conditions, compensation, benefits, personnel actions, and workplace rights. Through the University’s Grievance Machinery established under the CNA, employees may pursue complaints through a structured process involving supervisors, grievance committees, and university administration (Benguet State University, 2024a).
Additionally, the University operates a Public Complaints and Compliments Desk (PACD) that enables employees and stakeholders to submit concerns through various communication channels, promoting transparency, accountability, and responsive governance (Benguet State University, 2024e).
Labor Rights and Support for International Volunteers
BSU recognizes labor rights and freedom of association for all eligible employees while also providing institutional support for international volunteers and academic visitors through the International Relations Office (IRO) Manual of Operations (Benguet State University, 2024f). These mechanisms help ensure fair treatment, welfare protection, and appropriate support throughout the duration of institutional engagement.
REFERENCES
Benguet State University. (2024a). Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA).
Benguet State University. (2024b). Equal Employment Opportunity Policy (EEOP).
Benguet State University. (2024c). Sex-disaggregated workforce data and human resource reports.
Benguet State University. (2024d). Procurement documents and outsourcing service contracts.
Benguet State University. (2024e). Public Complaints and Compliments Desk (PACD) guidelines.
Benguet State University. (2024f). International Relations Office Manual of Operations.
Civil Service Commission. (n.d.). Policies and guidelines on employee relations. https://www.csc.gov.ph
Department of Budget and Management. (n.d.). Salary standardization and compensation policies. https://www.dbm.gov.ph
PADPAO. (n.d.). Industry compensation guidelines. https://padpao.org.ph
Philippine Commission on Women. (n.d.). Gender and development policies. https://pcw.gov.ph
Philippine Statistics Authority. (2023). Poverty statistics. https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/poverty
Republic Act No. 6758. (1989). Compensation and Position Classification Act. https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1989/ra_6758_1989.html
Republic Act No. 7192. (1992). Women in Development and Nation Building Act. https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1992/ra_7192_1992.html
Republic Act No. 8371. (1997). Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1997/ra_8371_1997.html
Republic Act No. 8972. (2000). Solo Parents Welfare Act. https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2000/ra_8972_2000.html
Republic Act No. 9710. (2009). Magna Carta of Women. https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2009/ra_9710_2009.html
Republic Act No. 10524. (2013). Employment of Persons with Disabilities Act. https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2013/ra_10524_2013.html
Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-CAR. (2024). Wage Order No. CAR-23. https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/region-and-provinces/car/
