NEC election results

The March 2020 election results are here. I was elected to national executive committee (NEC) as Midlands higher education representative, ahead of Teresa Forde and Alan Barker. It’s a casual vacancy, so I take up the seat immediately; the term runs until spring 2021. Since I work in a university, I automatically become a member of the higher education committee (HEC) too. (NEC members who work in further education become members of FEC.)

There’s a good explanation of UCU’s democratic structures — including national executive committee (NEC) and higher education committee (HEC) — in this USSbrief. For two new members’ experiences of their first NEC meeting, see this USSbrief.

I stood as part of an informal ‘slate’ of 14 non-aligned candidates — i.e. not part of either of UCU’s two dominant factions, UCU Left and Independent Broad Left. An explanation and list of those other candidates is here. Eight of us were elected. The other seven are: Ruth Holliday (Leeds) for North East Region HE; Annie Goh (UAL Central St Martin’s) for London and the East HE; Claire Marris (City) for London and the East HE; Leon Rocha (Lincoln) for UK-Elected Members HE; Chloé Vitry (Lancaster) for UK-Elected Members HE; Mark Pendleton (Sheffield) for UK-Elected Members HE (casual vacancy); and Dr Jo Edge (Manchester) for Representative of Women Members.

On our election, UCU commentator and NEC member Michael Carley described us as ‘junior hurlers’ — ‘a sly way of saying someone’s maybe fond of the bottle or not very committed or trustworthy’, according to an Irish comrade.