The following people have endorsed Jo Grady for General Secretary:
David Hunter – Janet Farrar – Andrew Feeney & Mark Pendleton – Jo Edge – Pauline Rattery – Steve Sangwine – Suzi Toole – Lisa Rüll – Josh Spears – Jo Brewis – Linda Littler – Ann Gow – Andrew Ward – Gina Gwenffrewi – Vivek Thuppil – Michael Abberton – Brian Hamilton – Patricia Roche – Loughborough University UCU committee – Matilda Fitzmaurice – Sophia Lycouris – Tristram Hooley – Chris O’Donnell – Sophia Woodman – Stephen Guy
David Hunter, City College Norwich and candidate for UCU vice president (FE)
Janet Farrar, The Manchester College and UCU immediate past president
Andrew Feeney, Northumbria University, post-92 HEC vice chair and pay negotiator, and Mark Pendleton, University of Sheffield, pre-92 HEC vice chair and pay negotiator
As your elected vice chairs of UCU’s higher education committee (HEC) representing post-92 universities (Andrew) and pre-92 universities (Mark), we come to our positions with different perspectives on our union. We agree however that it is in the interests of all members in higher education to vote to re-elect the general secretary Jo Grady.
Jo has demonstrated her knowledge of, and commitment to, all corners of our sector, and has proposed effective strategies for the union to take forward. These have often been the only viable options on the table but have been blocked by some on our committee, including some candidates running to replace her. We need our union to be effective at winning what members need and deserve.
Jo has consistently argued for an approach to our pay and conditions disputes that builds members’ confidence and our capacity to win, rather than repeating the same failed strategies that HEC has voted for in the past. We can’t any longer call poorly planned industrial action at the last minute and with limited tactical or strategic rigour. Despite her personal frustrations at these poor decisions, Jo has got on with the job of organising strikes and other actions, and effectively making our collective case to employers and in the media. We need to be smarter about building to win rather than just taking action without a plan.
Jo stood up against internal opposition to argue that we need a balanced system of student recruitment and not the free-for-all that is destroying whole departments and fields and creating massive workload pressures elsewhere in the sector. Reversing this is essential to the future of all of our jobs.
Jo led the charge on restoring USS pensions, the greatest win on pensions in recent trade union history. She will do the same to ensure that the sibling scheme in post-92 universities–TPS–is well resourced and our members’ pensions are protected.
Sectoral imbalances such as those between pre- or post-92 universities have real impact, particularly in how we win for members working across different employers and employer groups. This means we need a diversity of approaches–one size does not fit all. Jo has consistently argued for the need to tackle UK-wide demands but also to resource branches to win locally, especially those that need extra support to build capacity. Investment in regions, devolved nations and local branches will mean we are all stronger, together.
When you vote to re-elect Jo, you are voting for the most passionate, committed and effective advocate of all the candidates. But you are also voting for a leader who, with supportive elected reps behind her, can deliver on what members in higher education need in her second term. Join us in campaigning for the re-election of Jo Grady and the team supporting her at Grady4GS.com.
Jo Edge, chair, women members’ standing committee and University of Edinburgh UCU branch treasurer
Since she was elected in May 2019, Jo Grady has had to exist as two people: herself, and the general secretary of UCU. There is an important distinction between these two entities. As herself, Grady has a range of opinions and ideas on how our union should go about things. As GS, she is bound by the decisions of our national executive committee and its sectoral subcommittees–HEC and FEC.
Inhabiting these two lives is incredibly tricky, and yet, Grady has managed this admirably. As someone who has known her since 2018 and worked closely with her for the last four years, this doesn’t surprise me. She has navigated dealing with a hostile NEC with more guts and mettle than anyone could imagine. She has faced bad faith attacks from within her own union with good humour and bravery. And she has been proven right time and again: on aggregated ballots, on the need to build the union and on the strategic use of industrial action. And yet she has energetically got behind every single unwise decision our committees have made, because that is the job we elected her to do.
We are very lucky that after the last four years, Grady is willing and ready to recontest her seat and realise her vision with an absolutely stunning manifesto for HE and FE. But she can’t do this alone. Please elect her, and the NEC candidates on her platform, so we can work together to achieve this.
Pauline Rattery, prison education rep, London
My name is Pauline Rattery, and I am the UCU rep for London in the prison education sector. I am endorsing Jo Grady for General Secretary because she has proven during the past four years that she has the capacity and fortitude to stand alongside her union members and take action to get results. Jo has integrity, moral strength and the resilience to go through lengthy debates and discussions with our employers. She makes them accountable for improving working conditions, better pay, pension deals, and withstanding pressures from politicians for more investment and local funding into the HE, FE, adult and prison education sectors.
Jo has a proven track record of listening and supporting us when we say we want to ballot or take strike action to get the best results for our union members. She is true to her word and continues to strive on our behalf to improve resources and working conditions to help build a better working environment and strengthen union presence in our branches.
I have read through Jo’s manifesto pledges and her strategy document with the UCU members as her focus as the most central part of her campaign. I have every faith that as general secretary, Jo will deliver on her promises and take us to victory again and again.
As a teacher in the prison education sector, I have seen what can happen when we work together in unity to improve pay and working conditions. Because of this, our membership has increased which has given us more strength to have our voices heard in national bargaining alongside our employers–and this is just the start. So, I want you to join me by supporting Jo’s vision for 2024 by backing her campaign.
Steve Sangwine, UCU honorary treasurer (2017-23) and University of Essex
I’m supporting Dr Jo Grady for re-election as general secretary. I write from first-hand knowledge – I was honorary treasurer of UCU for six years, and those years included the year that Jo was elected, and ran up to 2023. I saw Jo rapidly establish herself as a capable trade union leader, and worked with her for the next four years.
Jo was able to talk effectively to government ministers, the leaders of the university and further education sectors, the people running our members’ pension funds, and more. She showed herself more than capable of dealing with the media, notably appearing on Question Time, and on radio and TV news and current affairs programmes. This has tremendously raised the profile of UCU.
However, the role of general secretary is about more than being the leader of UCU. It is also about running an organisation of more than 200 staff, and managing a senior team with varied responsibilities from communications and media to law and finance. Jo has done the job for five years with style, and effect.
We have won victories in the HE sector over USS pensions, we have won significant pay awards for members in further education, including prison education.
Re‑electing Jo is the best way to ensure that UCU continues to be an effective trade union achieving results for its members. That’s why my vote is going to Jo Grady.
Suzi Toole, Bolton College UCU branch chair
Lisa Rüll, University of Nottingham UCU
I believe in Jo Grady: standing up, speaking out, working for the best outcomes for everyone in the post-16 education sector. It is not just a case of believing in her above the other candidates, but a positive choice made for what she does and what I believe we as union can achieve with her in this role.
I still remember Grady visiting University of Nottingham in 2019: engaged and prepared to listen, yet fired by a sense of needing to address long-term goals. A resolute champion for further education, adult and community education, prison education, and yes for higher education. A fearless supporter of trans rights. Out on picket lines, speaking in the media. Always visible. Always accessible.
UCU is a broad union and Grady has never underplayed the role and contribution of academic related and professional services (ARPS) members like myself. She has consistently spoken out for growing both union membership and active participation of members in the union. Growing both numbers and activity will help us achieve more. I am proud of the role she has played and appreciate the endeavours she has led.
Jo Grady’s leadership reflects that UCU is also a complex union, where navigating the expectations, beliefs and goals of all the parties involved is challenging in a context of anti-trade union legislative constraints and vested interests, both within and beyond the sector and our employers. As general secretary, she recognises that every paying individual member who helps fund our existence and actions, alongside every local and regional branch structure, and our decision-making bodies, need to work together to achieve goals for the betterment of all in our sector.
So please VOTE. I’m voting #Grady4GS.
Josh Spears, Darlington College UCU branch secretary
Jo Brewis, Open University
I endorsed Jo for general secretary in her first campaign and am delighted to do it again. Under her leadership, UCU has recently achieved a very significant victory with the restoration of USS pension benefits–something we had been fighting for over an extended period of time, and which, as one of our slogans said, ‘we deserve it, we’ve earned it’.
I am convinced that Jo’s tireless efforts to sustain solidarity, ballot turnout and consequent industrial action across our branches, and her personal investment in branch visits, played a vital role in this victory. But the fight is far from over. Addressing the many deep-seated problems with working conditions in UK further and higher education require our general secretary to have a clear-eyed view of union strategy going forward, a determination to right the sector’s often grievous wrongs and an ability to listen to members across the piece so that everyone’s voices are heard.
We must continue to resist rampant casualisation, the gender and racial pay gaps, the real-terms and rapid decline in our remuneration and ever-increasing workloads. Universities are, more often than not, sitting on hefty cash reserves. If used to benefit the workers who create them, these reserves would go an extremely long way in rectifying the state of the sector. We also need a fearless leader who will not capitulate to the ongoing and nakedly ideological government assault on academic freedom in teaching and research.
For me, Jo is that person. She has my vote, as a tried, tested and utterly resolute general secretary. I urge you to give her yours.
Linda Littler, Luminate Education Group (Leeds) UCU branch secretary
As the branch secretary of Leeds City College I have had the privilege of meeting with Jo Grady, on several occasions, over the past years, and I can attest to her unwavering dedication, commitment and strategic vision for our union.
Jo has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges facing our members in both the HE and FE sectors. She has consistently shown resilience and determination in the face of challenges, ensuring that our voices are heard and our concerns addressed nationally.
During our industrial dispute, Jo took time out, at very short notice, to come and visit members at our college and listened as well as answered questions regarding members’ concerns. She inspired our members to stay motivated and determined which resulted in a positive outcome and an improved pay offer from our employer.
I wholeheartedly endorse Jo for re-election as our union’s general secretary, confident that under her continued leadership, UCU will thrive and our members will continue to receive the representation and advocacy they deserve.
Ann Gow, University of Glasgow
I am supporting Jo Grady for re-election for general secretary.
I have been an activist for over 25 years, with experience at branch, Scotland, and UK leadership roles. I have worked with Jo in my role on NEC for four years and have watched Jo establish herself as a capable leader of UCU. Jo has developed critical knowledge, skills and experiences that make her the candidate that I am endorsing for GS.
For me, Jo has shown unwavering commitment to FE, HE and prison education and to the values of the union. Jo understands the complexities of the challenges facing post-16 education in the UK and is always fearless in advocating for UCU members. Her media appearances have made UCU more visible, critical in the face of a hostile government.
Jo brings invaluable insights and understanding to the role, ensuring that the union’s aims are effectively aligned with the needs of its diverse membership. Jo understands the long-term goals, engaging with all members, growing membership across the sectors and championing UCU at all times, which I believe are critical to delivering on disputes, such as USS, significant pay for FE and prison education.
The GS role also requires the ability to run a large and complex organisation, with staff across the UK, delivering on UCU priorities. Jo’s experience over the last five years is critical to our work in achieving more for members across UCU.
Her demonstrated commitment to championing fair work practices, fostering inclusivity, and advocating for the well-being of all UCU members stresses her dedication to advancing the collective interests of the academic community. Jo’s leadership, rooted in a deep understanding of the complexities within the education sector, positions her as a strong and capable advocate for UCU, capable of navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Andrew Ward, Barking and Dagenham College UCU branch co-secretary and NEC rep for anti-casualisation committee (FE)
I support Jo Grady for re-election as UCU’s general secretary because I believe she has the qualities needed to keep the union moving forward. Whether on the various media appearances I have seen or communicating and connecting with members on her visit to Barking and Dagenham College, her ability to put forward UCU’s concerns effectively when the spotlight is on cannot be underestimated. Her opposition to casualised labour is longstanding, as is her understanding of its effect on workload and the health and well-being of the individual and staff in FE. Finally, I have been greatly impressed with her ability to remain focused on the things that bring us together as a union and keep us moving forward together.
Gina Gwenffrewi, University of Edinburgh
Without fully realizing it when I first became a member a few years back, the UCU I joined with its environment of dignity and respect for transgender workers is the UCU of Jo Grady. I have stayed and become involved in UCU representation because of the climate of respect and workers’ rights advocacy that has flourished during Jo Grady’s time as general secretary. I have stayed and become involved because, and the sad truth is, UCU is one of the few institutions in an otherwise barren employment landscape where my rights and dignity as both a worker and a transgender woman can be protected, and not just protected, but fiercely and publicly defended. This might seem dramatic for those not at the brutal end of a moral panic but at this current time and place with Jo Grady as its general secretary, UCU has become a beacon and a sanctuary for transgender workers like me, a place where we can expect to be treated with solidarity and compassion, our rights fiercely supported despite the national climate of union-bashing and minority-bashing with the accompanying university campus condemnations that seems to cow and intimidate so many institutions. If you don’t believe me then look around you, at leaders who have run on similarly progressive platforms and then quietly abandoned them, or the vice-chancellors who never cared much in the first place. So to return the favour and become an advocate for Jo Grady for a moment, as she has been an advocate for workers like me, at this time when it’s difficult to know who to trust, I’ve learned through experience to trust Jo Grady. She has principles. She sticks to those principles. She is one of those few exceptional leaders who governs and makes decisions based on her principles and a fierce, no-nonsense commitment to the oppressed and the discriminated, as demonstrated by her unwavering support for transgender people these past few years. In so doing, she reveals the deeper integrity and moral clarity essential for the role of general secretary, because she has already been that kind of general secretary, the kind who believes in the rights and dignity of others, the kind who leads from the front.
Vivek Thuppil, Bangor University UCU and migrant members’ representative on NEC
Michael Abberton, University of Cambridge UCU branch president
I’m happy to wholeheartedly endorse Jo Grady in her re-election bid for general secretary–as I did in her last campaign–but now after nearly four years in post as president of the University of Cambridge UCU branch, I’ve more practical experience and understanding myself of the challenges we face and that Jo will continue to meet and overcome in a second term.
I was proud to welcome Jo back to Cambridge last year to sign our historic recognition agreement with the university, the culmination of years of campaigning and negotiation with invaluable regional and central union support, properly formalising and protecting the relationship we have worked hard to establish.
Only Jo has a practical and workable strategy to address the democratic deficit in our union, and to put members, not a factional and reactionary minority, at the centre of a truly democratic and member-led union. Whilst not abandoning our national and international responsibilities to the wider trade union movement, our priority must be improving the conditions and wellbeing of our members, protecting and nurturing HE and FE to ensure a solid future for academic careers–not forgetting the students that will be taking up those roles in years to come. I believe that only Jo can deliver this, especially now, as we face increased uncertainty both professionally and personally.
Brian Hamilton, UCU Novus prison education branch
Having been a member of our union for over 25 years and have had the privilege of representing prison and FE members in local, regional and national roles I will be giving my support and encouraging others to vote for Jo.
Jo has been heavily involved in the growth and the successes we have had in prisons in both her strategic oversight and front-line assistance in the form of phonebanking. Her contribution and support to our political work and her awareness of the big picture is the type of leadership that the whole union
needs going forward.
Jo has always been about the inclusion of all members, however small their branch or sector. Jo has made the time and deployed resource to the furthest reaches of our union when she has been heavily involved in major disputes.
Strategically we have much work to do in the FE, prisons and adult education sectors, Jo has the skills and insight to continue to drive this and must be allowed to continue this work. Jo has proved that our sectors are integral to her vision going forward for UCU.
Vote Jo Grady and follow her recommendations for all the NEC vacancies to ensure this work continues.
Patricia Roche, NEC representative for disabled members
I represent disabled members as an NEC representative for disabled members. I chair the committee and am also vice chair of both the women’s committee and the equalities committee. During this time I have been fortunate to be able to work with Jo on behalf of members. I see her genuine commitment to ensure that members are at the heart of all her activities. In addition, Jo has excellent relations with both our sister unions and the wider trade union family. I saw this at the TUC National Congress which I recently attended.
On a personal level, Jo has been immensely supportive to me this year with regard to a very sad loss. This showed me that Jo, despite the immensity of the attacks on our members, has empathy and warmth for all in a busy and packed schedule. These characteristics are essential in a trade union, which is about capturing both hearts and minds.
Loughborough University UCU branch committee
The upcoming UCU elections offer a turning point to shape our union. After comparing candidates’ platforms and considering their responses during our hustings, we have decided to endorse Jo Grady.
Whilst we may not agree with every decision that Jo Grady has taken as general secretary, we believe that she has shown real leadership during a difficult period – especially from the start of the pandemic – and has demonstrated an ability to critically reflect on past decisions and learn from them.
We are also supportive of her plan to build UCU and raise the profile of our union, her efforts to co-ordinate with other trade unions to improve our leverage, and her intersectional approach to tackling discrimination.
Our stance is that Jo Grady offers the most realistic path toward improved pay and working conditions, greater stability in our sector, and a trade union that inspires confidence in its members.
Read the full statement from Loughborough University UCU branch committee
Dr Matilda Fitzmaurice, Lancaster University, UCU NEC representative of casualised members (HE), and UCU LGBT+ members’ standing committee member
As the representative for higher education (HE) casualised members on the national executive committee (NEC), and a precarious researcher myself, I know one thing: the fortunes of casualised workers in post-16 education will not be improved without a long-term strategy, and one that empowers casualised members, whichever sector we work in. Calling successive rounds of industrial action without proper attention to strategy or tactics does a disservice to casualised members, who cannot rely on a monthly pay cheque for the foreseeable future. Jo understands that this is not about casualisation as a ‘fight’, but rather the transformation of the entire sector. She is the only candidate with a future plan for the HE sector, and the only one with the mettle to ensure that her plan is implemented.
We need to take courage from the momentous victories we have already achieved. The full restoration of the USS pension is of huge significance to many precarious members reliant on obtaining a series of fixed-term posts, especially since so many of us start our careers late. We have multiple challenges ahead, which include securing a balanced mechanism for student recruitment to protect departments from closure and ensure future job security for us all. Another challenge will be making space for different approaches that use the best of what both national and local efforts have to offer. There has to be space for all of us in our union, and especially those of us who need it most. I know that Jo will work to create that space. Join us in campaigning for the re-election of Jo Grady and the team supporting her.
Sophia Lycouris, University of Edinburgh UCU equalities officer, UCU disabled members’ standing committee, Scottish TUC LGBT+ workers committee member
I am interested in trade unions which are member-led, fully embedded in societal processes, and connected with wider struggles. Jo Grady offers me this horizon, even more so because she stands with a platform. As a person, she is already part of a group. A collective, strategic and powerful approach that allows me to imagine possibilities.
Jo Grady has already made impressive contributions with wider impact:
- she repeatedly raised her confident voice against the UK government’s violations during the pandemic, not only protecting UCU members but many other workers affected by the UK government’s scandalous approach. UCU kept going and growing during this challenging period, and we won two UK-wide industrial action ballots in higher education
- with the support of very capable equality officers, she transformed the logic of the equalities agenda by drawing attention to connections between groups with protected characteristics. She also made sure that UCU was the first trade union that signed the Kill the Bill coalition to protect our rights to protest
- she helped save our USS pensions. This is not a UCU, pre-92 universities win only! The idea that pensions should become more ‘flexible’ is a global neoliberal trend. Similar cuts have been imposed on other pension schemes. By managing to fully reverse USS’s shameful plan, our union taught a lesson to those managing other pension schemes about how impossible it might be to destroy their members’ pensions.
More recently, Jo Grady involved the full membership in key decisions through online surveys. The project of building a truly member-led union has started. This is not about the right of members to vote once a year about who will be making decisions on their behalf. It is about having the opportunity to speak at every key step. Furthermore, regular involvement with union matters will empower members and we will become more active in the workplace. I can’t wait to see all this happening!
Tristram Hooley, Professor of Career Education, University of Derby
We need a leader who is focused on the real issues that members care about and one who has clear and thought out ideas about the future direction of the union. Jo’s manifesto is incredibly detailed and extremely compelling. I would advise people to read it before they vote and compare it to the far less detailed offers from other candidates. If you want a chance to compare, then this recent hustings sets out the issues pretty well […] if you work in further or higher education in the UK, and if you care about your own working conditions and about the future of the sector, then join the UCU, vote in the general secretary election and vote for Jo Grady to give us a progressive, forward thinking, tactically sophisticated and ambitious union.
Chris O’Donnell, University of the West of Scotland and national pay negotiator
Sophia Woodman, co-branch president, UCU Edinburgh
We need to talk about strategy in UCU: how do we fight back against the marketisation of post-16 education? What tactics have worked, and which have not? How do we do this in the current extremely hostile and difficult political and economic environment? Instead of this discussion, unfortunately we have a simplistic narrative that attributes success or failure in this complex endeavour to the leadership of a single person.
Jo Grady has consistently tried to focus our attention on strategy, and involve members in those discussions. She recognises that, for HE, UCU needs a coordinated strategy that addresses both the disappointments of our industrial action on the Four Fights in the last year and our victory on USS.
The struggle to reclaim HE involves action at multiple scales and a whole range of tactics, which Jo recognises. We need an approach that acknowledges the diversity of views within our union and seeks to bring the majority of members along. Without strong, organised branches that are engaging members in honest discussions about how we achieve our union’s goals, we can’t achieve anything, and in my view, Jo’s approach to this aligns with what has worked in my branch.
We also need to think about what we can achieve given UCU’s level of membership density in HE (currently around 30%). Other unions that have managed to move employers have much higher density in their workplaces. For me, a key strategy for creating more union leverage in HE is reaching agreement with other campus unions so we can take action together. Jo is the only candidate who is proposing to work towards this, something I believe could be a game-changer.
Please vote for Jo and for David Hunter as VP.
Stephen Guy, trade unionist and Durham Miners veteran
I came to benefit from further and higher education as an adult, having chosen to work in the coal mines of County Durham when I left secondary school.
I became involved in the National Union of Mineworkers having witnessed the Tory government’s attacks on working people.
The Durham Miners’ Association held weekend schools in conjunction with universities to educate union representatives.
It was UCU members, like Dr Jo Grady, who gave me the encouragement and confidence to pursue more formal education, once the coal mines had been closed.
I will be forever grateful to the lecturers who supported me through my academic journey. Without their skill, knowledge and patience I would not have secured my first-class honours degree allowing me to take up paid employment in the trade union movement.
I know the challenges trade unionists face in the UK and I know what skills and attributes are required be trade union leaders to deliver for members.
I have witnessed at first hand the skills, passion and dedication Jo Grady possesses when we shared the platform at the 2022 Durham Miners’ Gala with 250,000 key workers to highlight the pension injustices and precarious contracts UCU members experience.
My regular attendance on UCU picket lines in the North East has resulted in our solidarity deepening.
I sincerely hope Jo is re-elected in 2024 to the position of general secretary so that she can deliver her credible plans for UCU members and the sector.
Grady4GS 