UCU NEC elections:
Vote Saira Weiner for North West HE
Solidarity, grass roots democracy and equality
- Branch Secretary Liverpool John Moores University (2018 – present)
- Chair LJMU (2015 -2018)
- NEC NW elected member (2019 – present)
- Chair Recruitment, Organising and Campaigns Committee
- Chair NW UCU Regional Committee (2021– present)
- Vice Chair North West UCU Committee (2020-2021)
- NEC Women’s seat (2014-2016)
- Chair Women’s Standing Committee (2015-2016)
I’m senior lecturer in Education Studies at LJMU
- Equality must remain central to UCU work.
- Defend Trans rights, all LGBT+ rights and Women’s rights.
- Rights for Disabled people are Human Rights. I am Disabled by society not impairments.
- Stop the Racist Onslaught. Refugees are welcome here! Supporter of Stand Up to Racism, and, Unite Against Fascism.
- Supporter of Palestine and the BDS movement
- I am a supporter of UCULeft and the UCU Solidarity Movement.
- I’m disabled
We are in the fight of our lives. As the cost of living crisis intensifies UCU members, alongside millions of ordinary working people are fighting back. Strike action has already shaken the government and won victories . But it’s clear that across the public sector, with the government standing behind them, managements are digging in.
It means that we are rightly embarking on an unprecedented scale of industrial action, and I believe that indefinite forms of action may be necessary to win, as will organising to co-ordinate our action with other unions that are fighting back.
The rules of the game have changed. It’s no good our union laying out the same old game plan. Token action is simply not enough. A new scale of action, imbedded in real democratic control by our members, is the only way we can end years of pay freeze, attacks on our pensions and the ongoing assault on post-16 education.
And remember these attacks have seen our casualised, women, black, migrant, LGBT+ and disabled members hit the hardest.
UCU members have experienced an intense leaning curve over recent years from the #NoCapitualtion revolt against a terrible deal on USS pensions until todays debates over the strategy for our present disputes. That’s why our branches have increasingly voted for escalation to win. We have to develop structures in our union that give members real control of our disputes – we can have no more ‘top down’ plans imposed on branches – we have to be allowed to shape the action we need to win. Events organised by branches, the UCU Solidarity Movement and others show what real rank and file debate and involvement can and should look like.
We have to stand against any attempts to divide us. The government is using racism and scapegoating to try to derail our movement. We have to stand with refugees and migrants and oppose all forms of racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. We also have to oppose other attempts to divide us. That’s why UCU must continue to stand with our lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary colleagues. And that’s why it’s also crucial that we continue to stand with the people of Palestine – as a Jewish socialist I support BDS against the Israeli Apartheid state.
We face enormous challenges. But the movement against austerity is growing. We have to use our power to defend education and defeat the governments attempt to make ordinary people pay for their crisis.
To do this we needing a genuinely fighting leadership. I think I have, alongside other UCU Left and independent activists on the NEC & HEC, made a difference. We have argued for serious resistance and attempted to keep members informed and engaged. We need to make sure that the NEC continues to reflect the fighting spirit in our branches and contains members prepared to ask the awkward questions and not just toe the line. That’s why I’d ask you to re-elect me.