I’ve been proud to be an active PCS member throughout my entire career, and the union has shaped so much of who I am as a person and as a rep. Over the years I’ve represented members at Branch, Group and national level, building a real understanding of the pressures people face and what a strong, principled union can do to support them.

My values didn’t start with PCS, though. I cut my teeth as a grassroots activist  a long time ago by getting  involved in local community organising in Essex and in Haringey, and taking part in environmental, animal‑rights and anti‑fascist direct action. Those experiences taught me the importance of solidarity, standing up against injustice, and never accepting that things “just have to be this way”. They’re the same values I bring into my trade union work every day.

I care deeply about PCS being an inclusive, democratic union that listens to its members and keeps its word. When we said we’d refund the levy, we did exactly that  and for me, that mattered. It showed integrity and accountability.

Looking ahead, there are several priorities I feel really strongly about:

• Fair pay for all: We need a pay agreement that genuinely restores living standards and tackles low and unequal pay across the public and commercial sectors.
• Job security: I want us to secure a strong job security agreement, including a no‑compulsory‑redundancy guarantee, and wider access to hybrid and flexible working.
• Terms and conditions: We need to map out the differences across employers and push for harmonised, fair standards  while giving reps the tools and confidence to challenge unfairness locally.
• A sustainable fighting fund: Members must be fully consulted on how we build and maintain the financial strength needed to support future disputes. No decisions should be made about members without members.
• Listening, not factionalism: My focus is,  and always has been, on the real issues facing members, not internal political point‑scoring.
• Clear communication: Keeping members properly informed about negotiations and developments is essential to building trust.
• Organising: The strength of PCS comes from its members. We need to grow, empower and energise our union to give us real leverage in negotiations.

At the heart of all this is something very simple: I believe in this union because I believe in the people who make it what it is. My activism has always been grounded in the principle that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things together. That’s what PCS means to me.