As a serving member of the NEC, I am seeking the support of members for re-election. I currently sit as Vice President of DWP Group, Chair of DWP Wirral Branch, and member of the NW Regional Committee. I have for several years also attended the National Disability, Black Members’ and Women’s Fora.  In the wider domain I have represented members at the Disabled workers TUC, Women’s TUC, Black Workers TUC, and the Scottish TUC Black Workers Conference, also having spoken and represented our union at national demonstrations.

In my time on the NEC, I have watched our union grow in strength; from rebuilding following the check-off attacks, to pushing all the way to the Appeal Court in our demand for pensions justice, to initiating a strategy that would see us beat back the anti TU legislation implemented by the coalition government. I was very proud to see our members last year clear the 50% voting threshold and move to take the targeted action that saw us win a historic pay increase, brought Cabinet Office to the table on pay coherence, and won us a reprieve, at least until the end of this parliament, on the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. Protecting your compensation.

Our pay has been held down for years by successive governments, and inflation spiked so high that although it was more than we have seen in decades, the increase was not enough. Having paused to reflect, we will now see the national campaign gain new momentum. My having been a member of the NEC that made the decision to support the national strategy of targeted action supported by minimum levels of unpaid action, protecting your finances and putting pressure on government, I of course want to contribute further to the decisions the national union will make.

I am a vocal member of the NEC, always ready to enter debate, always with our members needs at the forefront of my decisions. As a union it is our duty to stand between our members and the employer, and between our community members and the government that is bearing down on us all, in every area, eroding our standard of living, cutting services, and refusing to give protection to the most vulnerable.  I am proud to sit on an NEC that provides that protection, wherever we are able, both in the workplace, and in our political campaigning. 

I was never prouder than when our union moved, following an approach by our members in Border Force, to oppose the government’s push-back policy, and the Rwanda plan, as PCS led the charge for the rights of people at risk of death, to seek asylum in our country.

Being on the NEC I have had opportunity to attend the UKCS Bargaining Committee where, being immersed in personal case work, I have brought real experiences to the table to help build policy that will help members in their working day, such as changes to the legal process to help see more cases reach ET.  More recently I have become a member of the Tech Services Forum where I will endeavour to help make the digital platform more accessible to all, to both aid our organising to continue building our union, and to help members access the wealth of information the digital site holds.

There is still much work to do.  As a socialist, I strive every day to win fairness and justice for all. I am a committed member of Left Unity, understanding the need to build cohesion within our union, make sensible decisions, build real and tangible strategies that can achieve huge gains for you. I believe working with the Democracy Alliance, that is exactly what we have done, and I promise that if elected, that work will continue.  I will work to eradicate discrimination from our work-places and win better policies and protections for everyone, across the Civil Service and in our related employer Groups.

Please nominate myself and the Democracy Alliance team at your AGM, and vote for the full Democracy Alliance team in the upcoming elections.