VP Hustings

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It was good to take part in the national Vice President hustings. Really enjoyed it. You can watch the hustings here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/VP-hustings-2024. We covered topics such as migrant members issues, strategy in HE and FE, prisons and Adult Ed, casualization, and member engagement. More hustings this week – Thursday online in the Eastern Region; Saturday in person in Cardiff, along with Jo Grady and the other GS candidates.

Election Address

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I am a special education lecturer at City College Norwich and, like you, I know that post-16 education needs a new deal.

Our union has a wide scope, representing lecturers, researchers, and academic-related roles in post-92 and pre-92 higher education, further education, prisons and in adult education. We also represent members across different political environments in the devolved nations and Northern Ireland.

Nevertheless, whatever our profession, wherever we work, we all see the impact of pay stagnation, insecure contracts, unsustainable workloads, attacks on our professionalism and systemic discrimination. The cost-of-living crisis simply made an already difficult situation worse. We all need a new deal.

What I will fight for

  • Increases in funding and pay.
  • Reductions in workload and casualisation.
  • In HE we must defend jobs and academic freedom.
  • In post-92 HE, we must defend the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).
  • FE needs pay parity with schoolteachers and binding national agreements.
  • Prison education must have a national contract overseen by the Department for Education.
  • Adult Education needs professional pay scales and job security.

In all sectors, we must learn from recent disputes and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. This is crucial if we are to win in the future.

My experience

I have been a branch officer and caseworker for 5 years and am currently branch chair.

Over the last two years, I led my branch through a successful pay dispute. We won the best pay agreement for 30 years, significant improvements for casualised staff, and additional pay increases for the lowest paid. Through speaking to and involving all members we were able to triple our membership and take popular successful action: 5 strike days and a powerful invigilation boycott.

My branch is now re-invigorated, engaged and active. I want to bring that renewal to every branch of our union, and that is why I am standing for Vice-President.

What I want to achieve

I truly believe that success at the UK level comes from the power we build at the local level, but I know the struggles branch reps and members face. That’s why I want to build every branch. By targeting resources at the branch level, consulting widely, taking the action members support and winning locally, we will build the power we need to win nationally.

With Jo Grady as General Secretary, we won the USS pension dispute; in FE and prison education we are winning on pay. That’s why I am supporting Jo Grady for re-election as General Secretary. If elected, I will work with Jo to build a stronger, forward-looking union. To see who else is committed to this, visit https://Grady4GS.com

Vision for FE

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The best way to see what I stand for in FE is to read the Vision for FE that I co-wrote with Jo Grady. Building and organising are the most important things we need to do: increasing membership and density, building local strength in each college, setting out a clear plan that everyone supports. You can read the vision on Jo’s campaign website, or download it (PDF).

As Vice-President, if elected, I’ll be chairing the FE Sector Committee for the next two years, and the FE Sector Conferences. I’ll also be working with the General Secretary, and the union’s Head of FE to deliver on the vision.