Patricia Roche (Blackpool and The Fylde College)

Election address

Patricia Roche, Lecturer

Our world is being transformed by Covid and I have seen first hand the major impact this has had on the working conditions of staff in FE.  The workplace is fragmented, reasonable adjustments fall by the wayside and detrimental changes are made under the pretext of Covid. I believe we can weather the storm by strong, united action and it is only by forging all parts of our union into a formidable fighting force that we will win through.

Clearly we can no longer tolerate the isolation, bullying, and job insecurity faced by so many in our workplaces and the onslaught has been relentless. Recently November's UCU Campaigns Update catalogued issues ranging from a widespread workload and mental health crisis to health and safety concerns for prisons and inadequate pay and pensions, amongst others.  The message is self-evident - only united campaigns work. We have the power to protect and preserve the things we value when we are united.  Employers know this and that is why they try to isolate our members, attacking our activists at every opportunity.

Our union must not sink beneath the difficulties and frustrations that we face and internal division is our biggest enemy. I share the anger of so many members about the callous coldness that employers show to members.  But by harnessing the imagination, initiative and righteous indignation of all our members we can withstand the offensive and achieve justice.  We should not underestimate the difficulties - no harbour is safe, no fortress is invulnerable, no victory is final. However the voices of UCU members, if united, are loud enough to shape the public agenda.  Our differences are our strength and we can be united in diversity, as well as united in adversity.

Let me tell you my story.  I left school with no qualifications, facing a future of impoverished horizons and poorly-paid work. Committed lecturers recognised my potential and helped me transcend my disadvantages, so I know how education can transform lives. Currently I work on a precarious contract, like so many others. In UCU I have extensive experience at branch and national level and currently serve on equality committees.  Articles on mental health that I have written have recently been published on UCU's website.

My life experience has given me the experience, tact, unflappable constitution and ability to see the big picture, which the office of Vice President requires.

If elected, I will bring to the role an unshakeable belief that it is only by burying our differences and combining together that we can achieve justice.  As Nelson Mandella put it: "There is no easy road . . . None of us acting alone can achieve success."