I have been honoured to serve on the NEC since 2017 and am seeking the support of our members for re-election this year. I am a vocal advocate for PCS both within the workplace and within the wider movement and I am always ready to provide support for members and representatives. 

I have held a number of roles across the years, at present I am NEC member,  DWP Group President, Wirral Branch Chair, and Vice Chair of the North West Regional Committee.  I am a committed socialist, a PCS representative to my core, and members are at the forefront of everything that I do.

I have been a strong advocate of the national strategy and the need to organise and ready members for industrial action, which means face to face engagement as well as using other mediums such as online meetings and telephony. I have not been an advocate of diving into all out industrial action when the union is ill prepared and there is a risk we might not clear the 50% threshold. A leadership must act responsibly, and not clearing the 50% gives the appearance of weakness and allows rabid employers to implement the worst of bad practices. Members have made me aware in many meetings that they cannot afford to go out unpaid, so we need to retain a responsible and flexible strategy; find effective ways to win at least cost to you. That is why I was fully behind the levy when it was introduced by Left Unity to pay for targeted action. That strategy worked, allowing us to win gains in 23/24, and I believe that action forced an above inflation remit from the Treasury this year. The levy was part of a flexible strategy, to be paused when there was no planned national action. I have long called for a pause of the levy and believe members have been let down by those on the NEC that have voted in the majority to keep it in place. I called for a role call at the NEC to ensure members could see exactly who has breached that agreement.

I have much life and working experience to bring to the NEC table, and the national committees. I was ‘deleted’ from the list of attendees to the Organising and Education Committee, by the NEC majority this year (not even to make room for another!) and removed from the TUC delegation where I would have spoken on behalf of PCS members. I hope members will support the Democracy Alliance to bring fairness, integrity, and responsible leadership back to the PCS NEC.

I advocate at every opportunity for members in the equality strands and have spoken on your behalf at both internal PCS events and on platforms in the wider domain, by invitation. I have a good working relationship with representatives on the left of other unions and activists that are working to win better public services and social justice for all.  It is my mission to win better for our members and our communities, and I will continue to campaign for a fully funded, fully staffed, fit for purpose Civil Service as we hold government to its promise of mass insourcing and push for improved terms and conditions for all government workers.

We have already seen the Labour Party showing its right wing colours, delivering a threat to public services with the ‘Get Britain Working’ white paper. No mention of tax justice as they continue to target pensioners, claimants, and low paid workers.

Legislative changes will come thick and fast and we need a strong, united and committed NEC to manage the challenges ahead.  We cannot move forward with a fractured NEC whose majority refuses to find consensus in any debate.  It was predicted by Left Unity that if elected, reps standing in opposition to the Democracy Alliance would break the union; when members see what they believe is ‘infighting’, it is that prediction coming to fruition. Those with loyalties to their outside political masters, are willing to impoverish our members, take PCS into unpaid strike action despite members being in financial crisis, keep the levy, despite members leaving because of it; rather than consult with members, hold an expensive conference to have their acolytes attend and win a vote to remove officers elected by you.

To call for an end to what is deemed as ’infighting’, is to call for Left Unity to step aside and not stand up for you; to leave our members with no proper protection.  That is untenable. 

I have been told by that same majority that my calls for unity have been rejected by the membership.  I know that is not true.  Members want to see a united NEC and I believe that the only way to achieve that is to bring back a serious committee, end the constant challenging of democratically agreed rules and attempts to breach standing orders at every single NEC meeting. Return the Democracy Alliance to leadership and restore PCS to the principled, campaigning, winning union we have always been.

I answer to PCS membership alone and if you elect me, and a Democracy Alliance team, the NEC will once again see proper debate, disagreement at times, but consensus also as democracy dictates, I promise that it will be your best interests, not the interests of others outside of PCS that will be placed on the NEC table.