Sean Vernell (Capital City College Group)

Sean Vernell (Capital City College Group) 

Election address 

Sean Vernell Full time lecturer in GCSE English.  

UCU positions  

• Branch Sec City and Islington College 2003 - 2007, Coordinating Secretary 2007- 

• London Regional Council 2003 -  

• NEC member 2007- 2014, 2016 -21, 2023-25  

• VC FEC 2007- 2014, 2016 - 21  

• National negotiator 2007-24  

• A Founder member of UCU Left since 2007  

Publications  

• Manifesto for Further Education 2006  

• Don't get young in the third millennium 2007  

• Further and Adult Education: responding to a new social and economic climate 2008  

• Fight the anti-union laws - no to austerity Yes to workers organisation 2015  

• Reconstructing Further and Adult Education in a post Coronavirus world 2020  

Why I am standing  

We stand at a crossroads in the FE sector. Take the wrong turn and we will have many more years of underfunding and disparity of pay and conditions, not just with schoolteachers, but within the sector itself.   

It is a real insult to all those who work in FE that the Labour government has refused to implement the 5.5% pay deal given to teachers. It is a further insult that the extra £300m given by government is not ringfenced for pay.  

The strategy pursued since 2017 of local battles eking out local deals, that many of us have been involved with, has ran its course.  

The possibility of reaching a national binding agreement on pay and conditions is more real than any time since incorporation. UCU is in negotiations with the AoC over bringing about a new deal in FE. But we will not achieve a deal that benefits us if we are not preparing to take national action.    

We will also not force the AOC and government to bring about pay and conditions parity within the sector or between sectors without national action.  

Our members are suffering from increases in workloads leading to physical and mental health problems. Despite inflation falling many of our members feel poorer now that they did a year ago. It is a matter of urgency that our union campaigns to maximise our strength - organising national action.  

A vote for me is a vote to end the marketisation of the sector and for a fully funded Further and Adult Education.  

Internationalism    

I'm proud to have put UCU's motion to this year's TUC congress calling on delegates to support the workplace days of action over Palestine. It was passed unanimously leading to the TUC supporting the last day of action - the biggest one yet. We need more action like this to stop the genocide in Palestine.  

Our collective power is what makes us strong. We must use it if we are to bring about real change for our members as well as to stop the world escalating into further wars.