I’m seeking election to be part of the DWP GEC to continue to fight for fairness for members and in society.

I’ve been a committed Trade Unionist since joining the DWP in 1992. I am an active member of PCS and of Left Unity, who I have witnessed developing the most successful campaigns in PCS, fighting for fairness and equal treatment, both in the workplace and in society. I have recently moved to a new branch and currently hold positions as Branch Organiser and Branch Assistant Secretary for DWP Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Branch. I am also one of the DWP Operational TUS Secretaries, a vital role that I have done for a few years now.
The fight for better pay and conditions continues this year as many of our members are still on disgracefully low pay, which is likely to see many return to the National Minimum Wage, when this is uplifted in the Spring. This simply isn’t good enough and Left Unity members will again have to lead the way on fighting this and any expected future pay offer for this year that doesn’t address the huge increases in the cost of living over recent years which continue to bite, leaving many of our members in hardship. This isn’t good enough and the GEC will have to campaign and organise to gain members’ support for an effective campaign to fight this.

Without maximising support on a nationwide basis, it will be harder to achieve our goals, as we have seen by failing to meet the 50% threshold in the DWP Pay Ballot this Winter. I work in a traditionally Conservative part of the country, where the public have perhaps been less supportive of unions, and members and non-members often have different priorities to those areas that are traditionally more supportive of what we want to achieve. I want to be part of the GEC and work with them to ensure there is a clear understanding of the targeted campaigning required in these areas and what we can do to continue to galvanise that support and improve. If we can improve our turn outs by a few percentage points further for future ballots, this will in turn continue to provide PCS with the extra leverage that will help us achieve our goals for all of our members.
Equally important in the year ahead is ensuring a successful DWP Staffing Campaign to ensure we have sufficient staff to deliver the important services that our members deliver and reduce the horrific tales of stress that we have heard from members as a result of the pressures caused by the current understaffing in DWP.
2026 will also see the need for the union to defend our members against the increased threats to our services and jobs created by the further expansion of Artificial Intelligence, by privatisation, by proposed reductions to our estate and by the various major changes being brought in by the current government, suggesting major changes in the way we work for many of us and our members over the coming months and years.
To be successful in these challenges will require the continued backing and support of our membership across the country. To achieve this, I will continue to work and organise to strengthen our organisation and membership density in areas that are currently less well supported.
I am also seeking election the National Editorial Board and if elected I will ensure we keep our members up to date with the issues that affect them and what we are doing to address their concerns as well the work done for them by the union on a daily basis and what we are doing to address their concerns and how the employer is responding. This will help keep our members better informed and have more understanding of the actions being taken on their behalf and better understand their own place at the heart of PCS.