Why is abortion legislation in the news? Abortion is legal in the UK – right? Technically, for much of the UK, the answer to this question is “no”, despite widespread assumptions that the Abortion Act 1967 rendered it so. Abortion in England, Scotland, and Wales remains a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Person … Continue reading Abortion is a trade union issue
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General Secretary Election Hustings Recap
Over the past month and a bit, all four candidates in the UCU GS election have been invited to 16 hustings events. Several of these are available to watch back online, so please see the hyperlinks below if you want to catch up -- if I have missed one here, please let me know and … Continue reading General Secretary Election Hustings Recap
Fourth member email: for a strong and confident UCU
Below is the fourth and final email I sent to all members of UCU as part of the General Secretary campaign, on Tuesday 22 February. Please note that 22 February is the last date to request a replacement ballot and that 26 Feb is considered the last safe posting date given the envelopes are prepaid … Continue reading Fourth member email: for a strong and confident UCU
Solidarity with Black Members Standing Committee and Unite UCU
Last week, I co-authored a statement with fellow NEC members to formally call for an independent investigation into structural racism in UCU, and to call for an urgent and specific formal meeting of the National Executive (NEC) before the next scheduled meeting on 15 March 2024. That statement is (here). We wrote it in consultation … Continue reading Solidarity with Black Members Standing Committee and Unite UCU
Third member email: Industrial Strategy and Equality, Health & Safety
Below is the third email I sent to all members of UCU as part of the General Secretary campaign, on the 13th of February. Dear members,Democratise - Organise - Unite In this email I focus on Industrial Strategy and Equality, Health and Safety. My full manifesto is available here: https://vickyblakeucu.uk/manifesto and the official UCU HQ … Continue reading Third member email: Industrial Strategy and Equality, Health & Safety
Questions on USS
The night before the ground-breaking 2018 USS strike, as we packed our hired Leeds Strikemobile full of picketing materials for 14 days of action, I was told Leeds would be hosting all the major news crews and would I please do the (Today programme) first thing… Through snowstorms, hail and wind, we stood firm and … Continue reading Questions on USS
Second member email: Democracy & Decision-making and Recruitment & Organising
Below is the second email I sent to all members of UCU as part of the General Secretary campaign, on the 6th of February. Dear members, Democratise - Organise - Unite In this email I'm going to focus on two areas of my manifesto for change in UCU: democracy and decision-making, and recruitment and organising. … Continue reading Second member email: Democracy & Decision-making and Recruitment & Organising
First member email
Below is the first email I sent to all members of UCU as part of the General Secretary campaign, on the 25th of January. Democratise - Organise - Unite Dear members,I am the Branch Secretary of University of Leeds UCU and a former UK President of UCU. I am running as an independent candidate to … Continue reading First member email
Candidate Statement
My candidate statement, which will be included with ballot papers for the UCU General Secretary election.
Vicky Blake for General Secretary: campaign announcement
For a democratic, united, and organised UCU I am running as an independent candidate in the upcoming General Secretary election. I have been an active UCU member since joining in 2009, serving in elected roles at every level of the union from casualised branch rep to UK President. I’ve experienced the highs and lows of … Continue reading Vicky Blake for General Secretary: campaign announcement
Vicky Blake 