Why I am standing for General Secretary
This last year has been transformative for UCU. Our members showed how powerful we can be. But this year also showed that our leadership has to change.
We have to look at how we conducted our industrial disputes. We passed motions at Sector Conferences which were ignored. The Higher Education Committee and NEC passed motions. Many were also ignored.
We saw negotiations without negotiators. Members were asked to start and stop their action without warning. We had a ‘pause’ for no purpose, and an e-poll asking us if we agreed with it — afterwards.
There was no leadership from the General Secretary in the MAB. And the summer reballot that we needed never happened.
That is why I am standing.
We need a different kind of union.
We need a union that is not afraid to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and to stand up for our members.
We need a union that ensures that when members take industrial action, that they are in control of disputes.
Members in HE made enormous sacrifices last year. FE members are commencing strikes. They want to know their action is not in vain.
There is an alternative. Strike committees — open meetings where members decide key decisions in strikes — run strikes locally. We have to scale up our industrial democracy for multi-institution disputes.
I am a UCU Left member — but this campaign is not just about the left. It is about our whole union. We will work with everyone who is principled and will fight for members. Being part of a grouping is a strength. Democratic renewal cannot be achieved by one candidate. It will require many reps and activists to step forward.
Please drop me a line whether you agree with me, or just want to know more. I’d love it if you would like to get involved in my campaign.
Latest posts
Pre-92 and post-92 – we have to unite
Although I am employed in a post-92 institution, I talk to colleagues and friends across all parts of post-16 education. So I know that we all face many of the same pressures; workloads which make us sick, precarious contracts, and wages which are collapsing in real terms. Sometimes in our rage, post-92 members look to…
The crisis in post‑92 universities
As the only candidate for General Secretary from a post-92 institution, I bring particular knowledge of the issues facing a section of our membership that sometimes gets overlooked. It’s now becoming clear that the marketisation of Higher Education is taking a serious toll on the ex-polytechnics and other new universities. With less research income and…
What Palestine means to me
Why my solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide today is part of my Jewish heritage. Saira Weiner was interviewed by Anne Alexander “The movement which has developed in solidarity with Palestine has been really transformative. The amazing thing is that there are hundreds and hundreds, sometimes thousands of young people involved. In Liverpool I would say…
Ceasefire Now: take action for Gaza on 7th February
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in favour of the South African government’s complaint against Israel further undermines those who defend the genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza. It is also a defeat for those who suggest there is some equivalence between those who fight against their oppression and the oppressors. The…
LGBT+ Solidarity & Liberation
UCU does excellent work through our LGBT+ members’ standing committee and equality committee in support of our members. In the last few years, UCU has launched a charter for LGBT+ solidarity, developed new CPD and webinar series to both educate our members and branches, and brought insights from struggles outside the union to our members.…
Saira Weiner for UCU General Secretary 