Nitin Rajyaguru (Cardiff and Vale College)

Nitin Rajyaguru (Cardiff and Vale College) 

Election address 

I have been a lecturer in Information Technology at Cardiff and Vale College for over 32 years. As a refugee and migrant to this country, I have had the privilege of experiencing the best of what the UK offers in education and opportunity. At the same time, I have endured the overt racism that was prevalent during the 1970s and the covert racism which endures now.  

Equality has been a lifelong commitment for me. I have consistently confronted both misogyny and racism in their overt and covert forms. Throughout my career, I have actively raised the concerns of Black members within our union and championed broader awareness of equality issues within the wider trade union movement.  

In the current challenging economic climate, Higher and Further Education colleagues are facing significant pressures. Historically, Black workers and other marginalized groups have borne these burdens disproportionately. This underscores the urgent need for UCU to prioritize equality and place it at the forefront of our strategies to address these systemic issues.  

I have been an active member of the Black Members Standing Committee for many years and have represented UCU at the TUC Black Workers Conference. My experience in member representation includes co-leading numerous training sessions for members and seasoned representatives on effectively preparing for disciplinary processes. With over 35 years of teaching experience, I also serve on the UCU Cymru Council, chair my local UCU branch, and have held roles such as Wales Equality Officer and Chair of the Equality Committee for UCU Cymru.  

As an independent Black member, I am applying for the NEC Black Members seat to continue advocating for the representation and safety of Black members both within our union and in their workplaces. This year, I played a key role in raising Black members' issues within UCU at the TUC. If elected, I will remain committed to challenging our union and supporting the Black Members Standing Committee in effectively representing and addressing the needs of Black members.  

I am supporting Rhiannon Lockley for Vice-President and Deepa Driver for Honorary Treasurer. I am also supporting Sean Vernell, Saleem Rashid, Mike Barton, John Fones, Dharmender Chuhan, and Nina Doran.