Dr Victoria Showunmi (University College London)

woman

Election address

Currently an NEC Representative of black members and previously of women members, my experience as acting HEC chair this year - and from the women's  and black members' standing committees - has developed my approach of working to make UCU inclusive. I work closely with FE colleagues and so am very well aware of the needs of members across the whole post-16 sector including Adult and Community Education -  facing cuts and low pay -  and Prison Educators, where Health and Safety is crucial.

My experience enables me to represent members, including the most vulnerable and marginalized, and contributes towards making our union genuinely strive towards equality.

Last year I represented UCU at the TUC, speaking in the gender pay debate - examining the issue of intersectionality as it affects workers in every area.

The murder of George Floyd and the global Black Lives Matter protests has exposed and further highlighted the inequalities black people face due to structural racism.

As a Lecturer in Education at the University College London IOE (and committee member in the largest UCU branch in the UK), my research/ teaching on gender, race and leadership, and on young black women's experience of education, underpins my understanding of gender pay inequity and the double detriment faced by women of colour, who all too often take disproportionately lower paid, lower status roles in our sector and the economy. And now under COVID-19 have been hit harder.

I supported our industrial action challenging the gender/ethnic pay gaps and detriment faced by BME staff and our fights to save our pension schemes, in pre and post-92 universities and FE.

With sharpening concern over sexual harassment and violence, it is vital UCU continues to lead here, working together to implement our policies, strengthen procedures, and affirm the vital interlinkages between different kinds of discrimination and unequal power whether gender, race, sexuality, disability, or insecure casual employment and the exploitation of PG teachers and early career staff.

Beyond this, my priorities are:-

building understanding of and commitment to UCU policies

focus on shared aims and concerns (education - a public good, decent pay and conditions, equality and inclusiveness) not narrow agendas - in HE, FE, ACE and Prison Education.

the need to support diversity at every union level

We face tough times, whether through marketisation, gender and race inequity, attacks on our pensions, or rising stress, management pressure, and workloads. We need planning and determination to ensure that all our members can effectively challenge these problems. Please help me continue contributing to this.