Michael Abberton (University of Cambridge)

Senior Assessment Manager, Cambridge University Press and Assessment, University of Cambridge

Election address

My name is Michael Abberton, and I am standing for election as a nationally elected NEC member representing Academic-Related and Professional Services (ARPS) staff. 

I have worked in UK higher education for over twenty years. For the past fourteen years I have been employed at the University of Cambridge, within Cambridge University Press & Assessment, in an academic-related post as a Senior Assessment Manager. 

As an ARPS member myself, I understand the particular pressures faced by professional services and academic-related colleagues: restructuring, increased workloads, blurred boundaries between roles, and the persistent challenge of being vital to our institutions while too often overlooked in governance and workforce planning. 

I have served my local branch as department rep, senior caseworker, and Branch President, completing my term in 2025. Supporting members through casework, change processes and workplace conflict has shaped my commitment to fairness, transparency and member-led decision making. 

During my first term on NEC and HEC, I have served on the Recruitment, Organising and Campaigns Committee, the ARPS Committee, and currently chair the Anti-Stress, Harassment and Bullying Working Group. The work has been demanding and wide-ranging, and I continue to learn from colleagues and union staff. 

My priorities for ARPS members 

I am standing on a platform of democracy, accountability and meaningful engagement. 
• ARPS staff must have a stronger voice in UCU's structures and campaigns. 
• Consultation must be genuine, regular and accessible, recognising the diversity of ARPS roles. 
• NEC and its committees must be transparent and accountable to the membership, not shaped by internal factions. 
• Our union should welcome discussion and debate—not judge members for their activism or attendance. 

I was proud to support the return of hybrid Congress, a vital step in widening participation and ensuring that all members can contribute safely and fully. I also support the aims of the Campaign for UCU Democracy, which advocates for a more open and member-led union. 

Industrial strategy 

I voted against an immediate statutory industrial action ballot. The consultative ballot and conversations with members showed insufficient support to achieve the turnout we needed. ARPS members in particular are facing restructures, job losses and unsustainable workloads, and we must build campaigns rooted in long-term strategy. The decision to ballot passed by one vote; I believe the union must prioritise member sentiment over factional pressure. 

Working constructively 

I encourage members to vote for Mark Pendleton and Suzi Toole in the Vice-President elections, and to support the following list of candidates: https://tinyurl.com/ucuelection26. Mark and I have voted in opposite ways on occasion, but our committees should be places where honest discussion is welcomed and where informed debate, not dogma, guides our decisions.