Melissa D'Ascenzio

Melissa D'Ascenzio, Dundee UCU branch

Election address

I am standing for election as an elected executive member of UCU Scotland executive committee. I am a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Dundee. I have been working in Dundee since 2016 and have acted as Co-President of the Dundee UCU branch since May 2022.

My branch is one of the first ones in the UK and Scotland to face significant job losses as part of a wider crisis affecting the sector. The future of higher education is at risk, with rampant marketisation, increasing casualisation, pay erosion, and threats to job security. This crisis is a big challenge for our members but also an opportunity to shape the HE sector of the future. We should work together with our sister unions to lobby the UK Government for a more sustainable funding model and demand a governance review that leads to a more democratic, equitable, and transparent sector. This fight cannot be won through local disputes alone. We need National and UK-wide coordination to defend jobs and reclaim higher education for staff and students.

As a union, we also have a fundamental role in defending hard won rights. Attacks on workers' rights and equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives are on the rise, with the situation in the US serving as a stark warning of what could be on the horizon for us if the far-right was to gain traction in the UK. We must resist these pressures and ensure that our workplaces, as well as our society and our union, are safe and inclusive for all.

I strongly believe in the power of the collective and in union democracy. By organising from the grassroots and standing together we can fight and win the future we deserve. I am committed to representing members across all UCU Scottish branches as we come together to stop job cuts and reclaim the higher education sector.