Saira Weiner (Liverpool John Moores University)

Election address

• Senior Lecturer in Education and Early Childhood Studies, Liverpool John  Moores University (2013- )
• Branch Secretary LJMU UCU
• Disability Officer (NW Region) (2020- )
• NEC NW HE seat (2109- )
• Current NEC Committees: Recruitment and Organising, and Equality
• NEC member (2014-2016 Women's seat)
• Equality Committee (2014-2016)
• Chair, Women's Standing Committee (2015-2016)

• NW Regional Secretary (2016-2017)
• Socialist, member of UCU Left

I am a lead negotiator for my branch, a caseworker and Faculty Rep.  Since I became active on the branch committee (2014), it has doubled in size, and our membership has increased by a quarter. I believe that the more members participating in branch (and all union) activity and democracy, the better. This isn't always easy to achieve but working collectively our branch is making progress!

If re-elected as NW NEC rep, my priorities will be:

• To report back to Regional Committee on local and national issues
• to build networks between branches across the sector, within the NW and nationally;
• to continue to support Black Lives Matter, to ensure that the curriculum is decolonised in my institution, that Black students and staff matter at my branch, and across our sector. BLM is more than just a #hashtag;
• to support trans rights. Trans women are women, trans men are men, and support freedom for people of all genders and none;
• to support student climate strikes, and make our campuses carbon neutral;
• to ensure equalities issues are at the centre of our responses to the multiple ongoing crises facing us;
• to campaign to end the endemic casualisation of staff across post-16 education. Our colleagues and students deserve better. Casualisation drains our profession of the diversity it needs to thrive.

I am involved in the UCU Solidarity Movement, which my branch formally supports. I am proud to support students in their protests against injustice and their poor treatment during the covid crisis. I will work with student activists and support them in questioning everything, academically and in life.

I believe UCU should be an active campaigning union, that supports members in challenging the things they find important, whether a local campaign for facilities time, the racism, sexism and ableism endemic in Higher Education, and always putting people before buildings. We must take up the twin issues of casualization and job security with more strength in the coming year: universities rely on casualised workers while many institutions make swingeing job cuts. The significant reduction in real wages continues to be a national issue, with the current 0% pay offer (which in reality is a pay cut) requires significant campaigning and national industrial action to rectify.

Please vote 1. Saira Weiner   2. Sunil Banga