Elaine White (Bradford College)

ESOL Lecturer, Adult Skills department, Bradford College

Election address

My name is Elaine White. I am an ESOL lecturer at Bradford College (since 2009). I am standing to be elected for a UK-elected FE seat. 

My active involvement as a rep in UCU started soon after I joined the college with various roles in my branch. I started on regional and national committees around 2015/16. 

I am currently chair of my branch and of the regional FE committee. 

I'm standing for election because I want to be a voice for action to win national pay and workload agreements for all branches.  

I am delighted that my branch is one of the 32 branches that beat the anti-trade union laws to win a strike ballot for the New Deal for FE campaign. However, on FEC/NEC, I am not just fighting to secure the best deal for my branch. It is not enough to work in a college that has the best pay deal in the region when colleagues in other parts of the country are on worse T&Cs. I want FE to have national pay scales and nationally agreed workload agreements and all who work in further and adult education to benefit from them. The national pay campaigns have made a difference. Recent governments have increased funding for 16-18-year-olds which is helpful but it's not enough. We need to continue escalating industrial national action if we are to force the government to listen to us and really invest in the FE and adult education sectors. 

I'm currently on NEC and asking you to re-elect me. A vote for me, is a vote for someone who will push for collective, effective action but always in consultation with members and reps in branches as far as it is possible to do so.  

I am in UCU Left and I am also interested in building consensus across all activists on common ground.  

I am a socialist with interests in grassroots local campaigns particularly around combating the climate and ecological emergency.  

No one is illegal.  

The trade union movement must stand up against racism and xenophobia and for collective human rights at home, at work and around the world. This includes peace, justice and self-determination for Palestinians and Ukrainians and for all those under occupation. 

If elected, my priorities will be to focus on: 

·       the fight for national binding agreements on pay and workloads in FE and adult education.  

·       the end of exploitative casualised contracts in education. 

·       the campaign for a just transition away from fossil fuel use with the role FE can and should be playing. 

·       defending and strengthening rights of Women, Black, Disabled and LGBTQ+ members.