Maria Chondrogianni (University of Westminster)

post-92

Election address

Principal Lecturer, Computer Science, University of Westminster, and NATFHE/UCU union activist since 1993. Member of UCU Left.

I have the privilege and honour of being the sitting post-92 UK-elected NEC member. When I was elected, key issues were the protection of our contract, our pension, the defence of casualised staff and challenging inequality. I fought hard to make sure that post-92 concerns are heard and appropriate actions are taken. Motions I submitted included the defence of post-92 contract maxima, the need for TPS-related information and member support and in defence of the BLM movement.

My contribution nationally is built on what I have achieved locally: as branch chair at a post-92 institution, I have championed the post-92 academic contract, for example defending and protecting it in successful ACAS negotiations. Moreover, I led the negotiations that successfully achieved fractionalisation for hourly paid staff (framework agreement). I have been instrumental in ensuring that no compulsory redundancies have taken place under challenging circumstances. I have been a union activist throughout my university education and career because I believe strongly that by working together we can defend education and protect our rights.

We face a critical time in protecting education, jobs, and our terms and conditions. As academic and academic-related staff, we responded superbly to the pandemic, showing our loyalty, good will and creativity in adverse circumstances.  But the pandemic allowed inequalities to be intensified and offered the ideal excuse for employers to yet again freeze pay, attempt redundancies or introduce worse terms and conditions. This enhanced our determination to defend jobs, attack inequality, abolish precarious contracts, strengthen negotiating positions, defend and win, as the many successful ballots for action and consultative ballots show.

Our response must be through national campaigning so that local UCU activists and members are supported. The looming crisis in post-92 institutions in particular, needs to be addressed nationally. We need to strengthen local branches to defend members' jobs and employment conditions, to defend the right of ownership of intellectual property and moral rights of any video recording, to defend academic freedom, by sharing experiences, strategies and tactics, particularly in avoiding redundancies, opposing detrimental contracts and punishing workloads. We need to ensure that fair working conditions apply to all, first and foremost for casualised staff.

I am a hard-working branch chair and a defender of academic and academic-related staff. Vote for me for a union that campaigns for you and defends your job and employment conditions. 

• 2019-present UK-elected NEC member HE (post-92)
• October. 2020-present London Region Health and Safety rep
• 2013-present UCU Westminster Coordinating Committee Chair/Vice Chair; and UCU Westminster Cavendish Branch President/Chair/Vice-Chair
• 2007-2010: UCU Westminster Negotiating Secretary (joint)
• 2003-2007: UCU Westminster Equalities representative and member of the negotiating team.