Sean Wallis (University College London)

Principal Research Fellow, Department of English, University College London

Election address

I am a lifelong trade unionist and a university researcher. I have given many years of service to the union and members. Currently, I am a national negotiator, an NEC member, regional secretary and branch secretary.  

I am also standing for Vice President (HE). See my election statement for what I think we should do to face up to the threats to Higher Education. But if I am not elected in that role, I would ask HE colleagues to vote for me to continue on the HEC/NEC. 

London colleagues will know me as an open and supportive Regional Secretary as well as the UCLUCU branch secretary. I believe in ordinary members: they - you - we - are the union.  

We need to foster a culture of solidarity and support between union branches.  

I help run the online UCU Solidarity Movement network launched by Imperial UCU and other branches during Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. This has helped union reps organise solidarity, member-to-member, branch-to-branch. It has met weekly for 5 years! 

We also need to bring the defence of public Higher Education to Government. 

In 2016-17, I convened the Convention for Higher Education in 2016-17, building the argument against the HE market system in Parliament, organising two Parliamentary lobbies. As London Region secretary, I have organised regional demonstrations which have put the union on the map and (memorably) taken the fight to UCEA! 

London is one of the world's most diverse cities, but we face the serious threat of a rise of racism from Farage and the far-right, but also from Labour and other parties conceding to them. We must stand up to racism and scapegoating, whether of refugees, our members or students. We must resist all forms of discrimination. 

We have to defend education and jobs in London. I think that all union reps who stand for election should commit to actively supporting branches. 

Defending education means standing up for ourselves. We must act urgently to stop any attempt to bully post-92 colleagues out of their pensions, stop redundancies, oppose casualisation and defend national agreements. 

We need to rebuild the UK-wide pay fightback because any union that only fights locally can be beaten locally. Solidarity is not an added extra. We must keep our eyes on the prize: the defence of education, research, and members' jobs, pay and conditions. 

When we lead members into battle, we must not abandon them. The 2023 MAB debacle must not be repeated. That means electing (left-wing) NEC reps who stand by democratic decisions of members.  

I am a member of UCU Left (https://uculeft.org), a hard-working branch secretary and a staunch defender of research staff. Vote for me for a union that represents you and fights for you.