Fighting fund banner

 

Aris Katzourakis (University of Oxford)

29 January 2021

Election address

I am a Professor in Evolution and Genomics at the University of Oxford. My research focuses on viruses. In recent months, this has seen me become involved in COVID-19 research.

My involvement in the branch committee began in 2018 after the USS strikes, and has seen me take on roles including member of the joint committee, vice-president, and co-president. At national level, I have been a branch delegate, sector conference, and congress delegate. I am a caseworker, and have trained and recruited new caseworkers. During the last two years I have helped grow our branch membership by 50%, expanded its network of reps, health and safety reps, committee, and strengthened its position within the university.

I believe strongly in member engagement and participation, and have successfully led ballots over the 50% threshold on both the four fights, and the USS pensions disputes over the last year. During the 22 strike days, I chaired our strike committee and co-ordinated industrial action, maintaining pickets across the city, organising lively teach-outs, rallies, marches, and forged lasting links with the broader regional trade union movement.

Since COVID-19, I have been a main negotiator in a new grouping between management, UCU, UNITE and UNISON. We have been pushing for changes to best represent our members interests. These have been challenging negotiations, but we have implemented improvements, including a commitment that furlough would not be linked to risk of redundancy, the introduction of a robust face coverings policy, and a pilot testing scheme.

Over the summer, I co-ordinated a high-profile campaign to challenge the University's refusal to make their risk assessments available to the union, to ensure safety. I led a working group to co-ordinate our branch response to its first section 188 notice for redundancies in the department of Oncology. I successfully negotiated the first ever facilities time agreement for our branch, giving substantive paid time off for trade union activities.

My professional interest in virology has seen me become engaged in COVID-19 and public outreach, including regular media appearances, and been co-opted onto the executive of Scientists for Labour. I strongly believe in working with broad networks and the wider trade union movement to best represent the interests of our members. Together with my experience of negotiating at the highest level with the University of Oxford, I want to bring this background to the NEC and contribute to the fightback of the coming year.

We are in the most challenging period that UK universities have experienced in our lifetimes. The year ahead will be even more challenging, and we have to build on the gains over the last year and strengthen our union if we are to resist the evolving situation in higher education.

Last updated: 28 January 2021