Widening Participation Officer (Academic-Related), University of Leeds 

Serving four years as a UCU UK officer has been tough, and an incredible privilege.  

Vice President from 2019, I took office as President as the pandemic hit and we suffered further consequences of a vicious Tory government. This gave me significant and realistic insight into the challenges of organising and mobilising our union. I’m committed to further building our collaborative, democratic practices and spaces, and strengthening the building blocks of our union: our branches.  

I want to continue working hard for members on NEC, and to facilitate and build participation at all levels of our union. I stand with all workers, on all contract types to demand secure work, fair pay, and decent working conditions for all.  

I’ve organised in UCU for 12+ years at branch and UK level, beginning as a casualised PGR who got involved and later chaired the UCU Anti-Casualisaton Committee. I’ve been a branch officer since 2014, on the NEC, and chair of several UK level committees since 2012. I have lived the daily challenges faced by branch officers and activists. 

Every level of our union must be functional and connected, from grassroots through branch, regional, national structures, and leadership. NEC members must facilitate dialogue and openness at every opportunity to support effective organising so we can mobilise effective responses to UK-wide and local threats, and to ensure proper implementation of the agreements we achieve.

I’ve represented UCU on the Trade Union Coordinating Group (TUCG) and its Climate subcommittee, which campaigned vigorously for meaningful change through COP26 and beyond, and provided policy consultation for the cross-party Decarbonisation and Economic Strategy Bill, where I emphasised how vital education must be to any Green New Deal.  

I have consistently lobbied for increasing UCU’s capacity for hybrid events and covid mitigations, to protect members and to address participation barriers, including those for whom disability, caring responsibilities and geography make travel inhibitive of participation. I’ve worked to improve the accessibility of UCU meetings at local and UK level, including advocating for a more active and tailored approach to making reasonable adjustments. 

Translating our many areas of progressive HE policy into workplace reality requires us to weave an intersectional approach to equality and commitment to climate justice through our policy and bargaining agenda. My experience in negotiations and facilitating complex meetings with competing views mean I’m well placed to support the hard work we need to do to ensure we are the confident, strong force our members need as we all face serious industrial and political challenges in the face of an ongoing global pandemic and deepening recession. 

@zenscara
@zenscara.mastodon.social  
http://www.vickyblakeucu.uk