Dr Richard Wild (University of Greenwich)

Election address

I am Principal Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Greenwich. I have worked at pre- and post-92 universities for over 30 years. I am Branch Co-Chair at UCU Greenwich and HE Secretary UCU London Region. I was elected to the NEC casual vacancy for London and the East this summer and continue to work for members on the committee. 

I'm a long-time member of UCU, but it was my experiences as Department Rep, and running a picket during, the last dispute that encouraged me to step up and actively build the union. I want to strengthen our union and build democracy through what are very challenging times. Locally we fought hard to protect our members with the pivot to online delivery, demanding employers provide a safe working environment.  Unions made a real difference. 

I have always volunteered alongside my teaching and research. I work with The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC) and volunteered for over ten years with the Fédération Internationale des ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) working against the death penalty worldwide. I was recently elected to the board of Amnesty International UK. 

This activism, coupled with my research interests around critical pedagogy, social justice and the impact of neoliberalism in the criminal justice system complement my approach to union activism in universities here and abroad.  

I believe that our members are our strength. We need to get organised to face challenges together; fighting for a real-terms pay rise, for equality, against casualisation and ever-increasing workloads that dehumanise us, put colleagues under intolerable pressure, imperil our physical and mental health, and degrade university education for everyone. 

I am a member of UCU London Region, UCU Left, and UCU Solidarity, and support the principle of a strong active member-led union defending our collective rights and the values of a free public higher education system rather than a marketised, exploitative system driven by a competitive, financialised culture.  

We cannot forget our students and the wider community we support through our teaching, research, tutoring and activism. This is all at threat like never before, brutally evidenced through austerity, Brexit, Covid, cost of greed and environmental catastrophe.  We must work with our students, other trade unions and local communities to tackle these threats and build a sustainable education system for the future.  

I ask you to re-elect me to your NEC so I can speak for you in defence of terms and conditions, academic freedom and professional integrity. We must embody the values that we stand for - namely equality, anti-racism, and fairness. These should be reflected in the way we speak and act, driving real change for all members.