Shereen Benjamin (University of Edinburgh)

Election address

I'm a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Edinburgh where I've held various roles on the branch UCU committee, including Equality Officer, leading local negotiations on workload, and being part of the anti-casualisation negotiating team. I'm a lifelong feminist and trade unionist, and I've worked in peace and justice movements since the 1980s: I fought against Section 28 and still consider myself a Greenham Common woman. My teaching and research in the intersection of gender, class and disability in schooling inform my UCU activism, which is directed towards the disproportionate effects of the marketisation of HE on disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

Addressing inequality through participative democracy

I'm standing for election because I believe our sector is in crisis. The corporatisation of post-school education is failing, and UCU needs to lead in reclaiming education as a public good for public benefit. Casualisation is the scourge of a sector run by unaccountable managers, and LGBT+ people, black people, disabled people and women are the most likely to be trapped in precarious and low-paid jobs. If elected onto NEC I will advocate for radical reform of institutional governance to address the problems at source, placing participative democracy in solidarity with the communities we serve at the heart of both our vision for the sector and our own union structures.

Promoting respectful dialogue

Participative democracy requires respectful, evidence-based dialogue. As a feminist and lesbian and gay rights activist, and a member of the Labour Women's Declaration working group, I've been dismayed by the tone of the discussion on sex and gender identity within and beyond our union. It's been deeply divisive. If elected, I will work towards finding ways for UCU to open up comradely dialogue about women's sex-based rights and trans people's rights, addressing conflicts where they exist, and building bridges where they need to be built.

Defending Academic Freedom

The corporatisation of universities has seen assaults on academic freedom, as managers seek to placate rather than challenge student 'consumers'. We are currently seeing threats to academic freedom in relation to issues such as Palestine solidarity and antisemitism, the Prevent agenda, sex and gender identity, and the 'hostile environment' for migrants. Academics are being no-platformed or are self-censoring, leading to conferences and talks being cancelled and research not being done. There is a chilling effect for all academics, with those on precarious contracts (disproportionately from marginalised groups) most affected, as publishing and teaching on unpopular topics carries greater risks for future employment. UCU's established policy support for academic freedom requires actions as well as words: if elected, I will work to ensure that NEC provides leadership in standing up to University managements wherever protection for academic freedom is threatened.