I joined PCS just after joining the Civil Service in May 2020 and became a rep in September 2022.

I am a personal case rep, fighting for members in workplace and seeing the immediate and real impact we have for our members on a daily basis. Protecting members from unfair treatment, achieving reasonable adjustments which allow them to remain in work and to have equal opportunities to deliver for the public we serve. Enabling our members to do the great work they are capable of is something of which I am immensely proud.

I have recently been re-elected as the Northern Regional Young Members convenor – In that role I’ve worked to re-establish the network, supported other young members to find different ways to get involved in PCS, and arranged events so young members from across departments can meet and find ways to organise together.

As a member of the DWP GEC, I’m proud of the way our Left Unity leadership has stood up for members on pay, fought for a fairer social security system and supported our outsourced members in G4S. I’m personally glad to have had the opportunity to work alongisde our Group Young Members’ officer and Young Members Advisory Committee to help arrange a DWP-specific young members seminar.

Serving on our NEC for the first time in the past year has been a massive honour but also incredibly frustrating. Time and again, we’ve seen the BLN/IL majority on the NEC take an entirely destructive attitude to papers in NEC meetings, defeating recommendations with little reason and consistently failing to put forward their own strategy for how to drive forward the National Campaign and more.

Perhaps most damagingly, they’ve refused to pause the strike levy despite members having been told that it would only remain in place for as long as we were taking targeted action under the national campaign. Democracy Alliance NEC members have raised at every meeting the financial impact this has on members, the loss in membership it’s causing and the risk it runs of undermining member trust in this campaign.

Just after becoming a rep, I was involved in organising for strike action in my branch. It was clear members understood and were enthused by the strategy put forward by the leadership of Left Unity. We were all proud of the gains our members made on pay due to their action, standing together to demand better from the Government, but the actions of the BLN/IL NEC majority have put us in a much weaker position. The urgent need to elect a Democracy Alliance majority NEC is clear.

I firmly believe PCS has a vital role in the wider Trade Union movement and society. From safeguarding human rights in the UK and internationally through actions such as the legal challenges against Government immigration policy, to combatting the climate crisis.

PCS has a proud history of being an active, campaigning union it’s crucial this continues, and if elected, I look forward to playing an important role in this.

If re-elected I will:

• Support calls to pause the levy
• Work alongside other Democracy Alliance NEC members to rebuild our national campaign, to deliver better pay for our members
• Focus on education for young members, who often face management who think they can belittle and take advantage of them
• Help build a union which continues to fight for what’s right.

I’m a proud socialist and Left Unity member and I’d encourage all members to support the full Democracy Alliance slate in the NEC elections.