Dr Marion Hersh (University of Glasgow)

Election address

Senior Lecturer, Engineering, Glasgow University

• NEC 2007-2009, 2010-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-23
• Equality Committee  2007-2009, 2010-2012, 2013-2017
• UCU Scotland Equality Officer 2018-2019
• UCU Scotland Executive 2007-2011, 2013-2015, 2017-2019
• USS negotiator/alternate 2011-12, 2013-23 
• Commissions on Rule 13, Effective Industrial Action
• Glasgow Committee 1990-2023
• UCU-Left

Lifelong anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-war campaigner, campaigner for social justice.

I'm passionately committed to (higher) education.  My vision is a free, publicly-funded and accessible system that values the contributions of BAME, women, non-binary, Disabled, LGBT+ people and encourages awkward questions.

My proposals to NEC led to the Fund the Future campaign and to HEC to the Five Tests for a safe return to campus.  I've got my institution to use non-binary-aware language in Senate standing orders and take seriously making on-line teaching accessible to disabled staff. 

As a USS negotiator I've been instrumental in the transformation in UCU.  I have campaigned to protect members' interests, particularly those of lowest paid, and against moves to defined contributions.  My work has resulted in the ethical/sustainability section of the negotiators' report and led to USS making its website and communications more accessible.  I'll continue to campaign for USS to have a strong ethical investment policy.

On HEC I supported action in November and further hard-hitting industrial action with other unions where possible, to fully restore our pensions and get decent pay, job security and reasonable workloads for all.  I support increasing strike pay to remove financial barriers to action. 

Inequality, discrimination and oppression, both within and beyond HE, anger me.    I campaign actively, promote collective approaches to equality and anti-casualisation.  I try to generalise from my individual cases to campaigns for policy changes in my institution and throughout HE. I'm active in the Trade Union Climate-Change Network and campaigns to support refugees. 

I teach students not serve clients and campaign against marketisation and commodification.  I oppose REF and TEF.  I promote academic freedom in teaching and research and oppose its misuse as a pretext to undermine the rights of minority groups, most recently trans people and Palestinians. 

Solidarity and support are essential to active trade-unionism.  I continue to support campaigns against unsafe working conditions, job losses, department closures, victimisation, casualisation - Liverpool, Queen Mary, Dundee ...

I've successfully proposed action to NEC, Congress and HE Sector Conference on global climate change, supporting EU and international staff, pensions, TU bill, stress, victimised reps, points-based immigration, equality impact assessments, human rights act, Trident,  Stop the War, Holocaust Memorial Day, non-binary gender.

We should work with other unions, students and anti-cuts groups on wider campaigns and to defend education and access for all.  HE and knowledge generation must be open to all to transform society for the better.