I joined the Civil Service in January 2018 and have been an active PCS member and rep throughout my time at work across two government departments.

I am a young member, previously involved in union equality structures, including Group Women’s Advisory Committees, LGBT Advisory Committees and Young Members’ Committees, because our union is strongest when every member’s voice is heard and represented. I have represented PCS and young members at Youth TUC.

Through these structures, I’ve worked with reps and group officers to represent our members on the issues they face, to challenge unfair practices in the workplace and to organise for equality and respect in the Civil Service and wider society.

We all face chronic low pay, increasingly unmanageable demands at work and employers driving through changes without regard for our members or the public we serve. PCS must continue to be a campaigning, democratic union that fights and wins on pay, conditions and respect.

If elected, I will support serious, effective leadership that focuses on organising, defending members and building a stronger union, and I will work to ensure that fairness, equality and justice remain central to our union’s work.

Bargaining for you on pay, job security and flexible working

During the past year, our Democracy Alliance-led NEC has negotiated with Government to push for real progress on the issues that matter to members. I’ll work to hold Government accountable on their commitment to “Make Work Pay”.

Our negotiating priorities are:

• an agreement on pay which restores and secures decent living standards, ending poverty pay once and for all;
• a job security agreement that guarantees members no compulsory redundancies and greater access to hybrid working.

Progress has been made in negotiations, with the employer accepting that low pay and grading pay differentials must be addressed as a priority, particularly at AA, AO and EO level.

The pay remit guidance details this progress. As we consult members on the way forward, our approach will not be based on slogans and empty rhetoric, but hard bargaining, with members taking the final decisions.

I am a proud socialist and member of Left Unity. Please elect the Democracy Alliance candidates below:

President – Cavanagh

Vice-Presidents – David, Green, Owens, Shafiq

NEC – Alderson, Mark Baker, Paula Brown, Cahill, Corcoran, Dando, Darcan, Dwyer, Flynn, Gantschuk, Govind, Grant, Harney, Hegney, Hewitt, Jackson, Landeryou, Lawther, McDonough, McGachey, Marshall, Maxwell, Merry, Morton, Nurse, Pope, Reid, Stokoe, Thorley, Vallely