My commitment to you
If elected I will:
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Rebuild trust by opening up feedback and communication before decision-making, giving branches real power and respecting branch autonomy.
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Fight for fair pay, manageble workloads, job security and national bargaining.
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Stand up for prison education with proper funding, safety, and representation.
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Demand proper funding for all Post-16 education, not just young people and fight to end precarious contracts and casualisation.
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Fight for equality, justice and inclusion in our union and workplaces
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Unite HE, FE, prison Ed and Adult Ed whilst addressing sector specific needs with tailored solutions.
One union, many voices
Key Issues
Rebuild Trust and Member Voice
Members report they don't feel listened to and that the union structures are dominated by the same few branches. We need to take bold, inclusive steps to open up our structures and ensure that all our activists, from every background and region, have real influence and that their voices shape our union’s actions.
Key pledges:
Launch a Member Voice Initiative. Structured listening forums (both online and in-person) in each sector.
Push for transparent decision-making including rationales for major NEC decisions and consultation outcomes.
Strengthen branch power. More resources, clearer channels between branches and national leadership.
Create a “members’ priorities survey” to shape bargaining and campaigning agendas annually.
Fight For Justice and Inclusivity
We must ensure UCU continues to be a proudly inclusive union that fights for all members.
Key pledges:
Uphold UCU’s democratically agreed policy to support justice for Palestine and all oppressed people, and to oppose violations of international law and human rights.
Support the call for Academic Freedom. Protect the right of all educators and students to teach, research, and speak without fear or censorship.
Defend the right of members to engage in ethical campaigns, including boycotts and solidarity actions.
Work within the Equality Committee to strengthen workplace protections and fight for better policies on sexual harassment, gender identity, Trans rights, and to challenge harassment and hostile media narratives.
Continue to support UCU's fight for Climate action to protect the future of the planet for all.
Lead the fight on Core Issues
There are cross sector issues that affect all of us in Post-16 education but we can't expect a one-size-fits all policy to work or rely on the same strategies to win. We need to listen to these varied concerns and utilize new solutions to fight for the issues that matter to members.
Key pledges:
Make pay, workloads, job security and national bargaining the central focus of UCU campaigning.
Push for a coherent HE strategy to confront cuts, redundancies and casualisation.
Prioritise winning national bargaining in FE, with pay scales, contact hours and cover agreements.
Rebuild Prison education branches from the ground up after the decimating effects of the latest round of redundancies and equip ROs and BDOs with the sector specific training needed to support this.
Challenge the brutal cuts and lack of support to Adult Education that are leaving the sector scrabbling to make ends meet and reliant on precarious hourly paid and short term contracts.
Build sector-specific escalation plans that members help design, so actions are owned not imposed.
Workload, Mental Health and Safety
Our workloads are increasingly unsafe and continuing to spiral. Members are becoming sick at an alarming rate and remaining staff are burnt out from cover. Reasonable adjustments are being disrespected by employers and members are bullied into either returning to work or leaving the profession. Casualised and marginalised workers are especially vulnerable to discriminatory policies and actions.
Key pledges:
Make workload reduction a bargaining priority
Continue my work to gather data on how workloads are negatively impacting staff and how they vary massively by institution.
Push for enforceable caps, stress risk assessments, and support mechanisms
Investigate the data on casualisation and its impacts disproportionately affecting Black, migrant, racially minoritised, disabled, women, and LGBTQ+ members.
Build rapid response support for branches facing crisis
Unite the Sectors
Many voices. One union.
Key pledges:
Build a cross-sector strategy with clear shared goals but respect for sector differences.
Ensure equal weight and visibility to HE, FE, Prison Ed and Adult Ed campaigns in national comms.
Strengthen inter-branch solidarity so redundancies or disputes in one sector get support from others.