I've been working in FE since 2010, and I've been teaching A Level Politics at Capital City College for over a decade. I absolutely love teaching – but it is also incredibly disheartening and frustrating at times. Successive governments have undervalued and attacked our sector, and too many Principals/CEOs treat our institutions as businesses rather than a public good. 

The consequences are clear: worsening pay and conditions, rising workloads and reduction in support which all leads to students being short-changed. These injustices are what drives my union activism.

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National activities 

I’ve been an NEC member since 2022, and have served on the Women’s Committee, Equality Committee, Education Committee, Climate and Ecological Emergency Committee, Legal Appeals Panel and the Recruitment, Organising and Campaigns Committee. This has given me a deep, practical understanding of UCU’s national structures and the power we have when we use them collectively.

For the past two years I’ve been a National Pay Negotiator. I have been and am, fully committed to winning national binding bargaining – we have a clear democratic mandate from our members at Conference for this and it is essential to levelling up FE.  

Our branch is taking part in the nationally coordinated strike action on pay, workload and national binding bargaining. Leadership must mean following through on democratic decisions. Members expect those who take up positions must be prepared to organise, mobilise and act alongside them.  

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Developing strong branch organisation

I have been an active committee member since 2010. 

Previously, as Anti-Casualisation rep, I led a successful recruitment drive HPL’s. Our branch continues to fight for casualised and lower-paid reps, taking strike action together to win a fractionalisation deal.  

As Membership Sec, I strengthened communications across the departments and sites, and increased membership density. 

As an experienced case worker, I have worked tirelessly and consistently to defend members rights and challenge management. We organise branch level training on case work and negotiations, to help encourage other members to have the confidence to also be more involved. 

Since 2019 I have been a branch negotiator, starting as branch chair, and then Branch Secretary since 2022. In these roles, I have helped secure pay rises, improved workload agreements, health and safety improvements. Often these gains were won through strike action and developing a strong branch.  

Racism, ageism and disablism were clearly impacting our members. Therefore, I pushed for the publication of an external EDI review into the college and have worked to ensure management deliver real change, not simply tokenistic gestures. 

Standing against the far right and defending solidarity

With the rise of Reform UK and racist narratives gained ground, I helped organise a staff & student cross-curricular themed learning week at college on Celebrating Multiculturalism and Diversity. We are currently planning another one on Celebrating Immigration. I have taken motions to FEC and FE sector conference to share resources nationally and build a mass educational anti-racist campaign, because confronting the far-right must be a union-wide priority.  

Our branch has participated in every workplace Day of Action in solidarity with Palestine, and I have successfully defended members facing disciplinary action over their support for Palestine. 

Following the shameful transphobic Supreme Court ruling, I organised our branch delegation to the emergency protest and continue to pressure our management to create more trans-inclusive spaces. 

Our branch has successfully beaten the anti-trade union thresholds in every ballot. This has been hard work and has been a collective effort of our committee, as all good GTVO campaigns should be. 

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Regionally

I have regularly attended London Region and was Chair between 2022 - 24. I helped organise the successful London Region conference: Defending Post-16 Education under Starmer’s Labour. Bringing together 150 members from HE, FE and ACE from across the country to discuss the critical issues and how we can resist. Our regions matter - they are spaces to organise, debate, and share strategies for organising and resisting.