I am asking for your support in the upcoming DWP GEC elections.

I have been a PCS member since joining the civil service in 2004 and a union representative for 18 years. During that time I have held a number of roles including Branch Chair in Swansea Pension Centre. I currently serve as Secretary of the Ty Taf branch, Chair of the PCS DWP Wales Committee, Wales GECLO and I’m happy to have been voted onto the Wales Executive Committee for this coming year also.

Representing members through personal cases remains the most important part of my union work. I have supported members facing workplace bullying, the misapplication of hybrid working policies and issues around attendance management. Ensuring members are treated fairly, supported and properly represented is always my priority.

Since being elected to the GEC in 2024 I have worked with many new representatives, supporting personal case and rep training and mentoring newer reps through their own negotiations and member representations. Developing confident activists is essential if PCS is to remain strong and effective in workplaces across the department.

As a socialist, I care deeply about the kind of workplaces we’re building and the kind of lives our members are able to live outside of them.  For me, that means fighting for proper work-life balance, fair pay the actually reflects the cost of living, safe and healthy working environments and staffing levels that allow people to do their jobs without burning out.  Our members are continuing to face huge pressures at work, in our job centres and within universal credit review teams, targets and pace of change are taking a real toll on our members.  We must continue to challenge these pressures whilst fighting for fair pay, decent pensions and safe staffing levels.

PCS has always been at it’s strongest when we stand together.  We’ve led the way in pushing for fair pay across the civil service, defending pensions, challenging discrimination and protecting jobs and services that people rely on.  That work matters, not just internally, but in the wider fight for a fairer society.

We’re seeing a worrying rise in far-right rhetoric and division and unions like ours have a huge role to play in standing against that.  When we organise and support each other, when we stand up for fairness and equality, we are actively pushing back against those forces.

Left Unity has been central to that approach.  It’s about bringing people together and not tearing each other apart.  It’s about focusing on what actually improves members lives rather than getting lost in internal conflict. 

Our union is our membership.  It belongs to all of us.  So the leadership we chose should reflect the values we expect from each other.  Solidarity, integrity and unity.  Not division for the sake of it or point scoring, but meaningful strong leadership that listens, delivers and puts members first every single time.

Please vote for myself and the democracy alliance candidates in the upcoming GEC election.

With the right leadership we can continue to build on what we’ve already achieved.  We can keep strengthening our union supporting our members and standing up for what’s right, both in our workplaces and beyond them. 

If re-elected, I will continue working with Left Unity colleagues to support members, strengthen our union and encourage more members, particularly from under-represented groups, to become active within PCS.