I am a proud socialist, have been involved in trade unions since the age of seventeen and have been a member of PCS for 25 years, holding numerous positions at workplace, regional, group and employer bargaining unit level. I come from a long and historically traditional trade union and socialist background both here in the UK and Ireland and follow in my families’ footsteps to pursue equality and fair treatment.

My great-great-grandfather came to the UK to seek work gaining employment on the railways and became part of the union movement blossoming in West Riding in the late 1800s. I come from a family rooted in the trade union movement through numerous generations, with my grandad being a trade union official in the brewery’s union and my mother in the cloth industry.

I first became active in PCS by becoming the first ULR in the DFT group, taking my passion to create inclusive working environments and for learning to encourage others to get involved. I then took the role as equalities rep and the secretary of the Dft Yorkshire and Humber branch. Since then, I have taken the role of Equalities officer on the Dft Group and recently become group vice president.

I have been the Trade union liaison officer for my local CLP where I worked with other unions and trades councils to promote the trade union movement and its campaigns.

I have a proven track record of leading industrial campaigns which have secured significant wins for members. As the Dft Group equalities officer I led campaigns at both DVSA Agency level and at group level, ensuring support for those with serious and terminal illness, raising awareness and support for the menopause in the workplace, securing the provision of free sanitary products across workplaces and promoting support for mental health and wellbeing. I am currently working to establish support for miscarriage and pregnancy loss and continue to work with both the Department and Agency level to establish support for workplace adjustments and support.

As the DVSA trade union side chair and employer bargaining unit chair, I have taken a leading role in 10 industrial disputes over 7 years, building a successful industrial response against proposed detrimental change which has ensured we beat the anti-union threshold on every occasion. Members and reps alike take advice and guidance from me as a trusted negotiator.

As the EBU chair for DVSA and Group Vice President, I took a lead in ensuring we beat the threshold in both ballots as part of the national campaign. I led the plan for the industrial response which saw members across DVSA take sustained and rolling strike action to support the successful delivery of the national campaign.

As the lead Rep on the trade union side for health and safety I have worked on several initiatives to ensure that new technology being introduced by the employer has been scrutinised to ensure that it does not undermine our members health and wellbeing. During covid I worked as part of the Trade union side response team ensuring the employer conducted full risk assessments and equality screening processes to ensure that the employer implemented safe working practices for our members when services resumed.

I am engaged with seeking to ensure that all screenings and risk management are being taken around the subject of the 60% office attendance. This includes ensuring that all reasonable adjustments are considered.

The cost-of-living crisis has not gone away and with conflicts raging across the globe and their effects touching many lives there is still much work to be done. PCS has been at the forefront of campaigning to create a fairer safer world for everyone, and this is at the very centre of my heart. Our pay campaign continues, and I will continue to be a lead player in pushing our unions campain on pay so that our members have real terms money in their pockets with a clear hope to banish pay poverty from our workplaces.

Coming from a family background that has stived to break glass ceilings and climb out of poverty I will do all I can to further our unions goals and the goals of the trade union movement and especially to protect the rights of all our members terms and conditions and their right to be respected in the workplace.

To do this we need to ensure we have a strong and stable union on the road ahead.

As proud socialist and member of Left Unity, I will do all I can to help our union achieve its aims. I am committed to working with the elected team to continue to deliver for members.