Endorsement from Dr Phil Child, University of Birmingham UCU Anti-Casualisation Officer

My name is Phil Child and I am a fixed-term Research Fellow in Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, as well as the current Anti-Casualisation Officer for my branch. I will be voting for Jo Grady as my first preference for UCU General Secretary. Why? Two reasons.

Firstly, as my branch role might suggest, I want a union that takes the spread of casualisation seriously, seeing the spread of precarious working conditions across tertiary education as a priority to be tackled nationally rather than something to be farmed out to branches haphazardly. This is one of the biggest threats to the long-term viability of the union, and I am glad that Jo has the foresight to see that national coordination is the only way to stop casualisation.

Secondly, I want a union with a genuinely democratic culture, responsive to the needs of rank-and-file members rather than the interests of those paid to serve us. UCU remains baffling, if not actively unwelcoming, to the unengaged member and I believe Jo would be the General Secretary to change this, aided by her current experience of working in tertiary education.

I have no hesitation in endorsing Jo Grady as my first preference in this election, and I strongly urge you to do the same as soon as you get your ballot.

Published by Jo Grady