Saleem Rashid (Sheffield College)

Saleem Rashid (Sheffield College) 

Election address 

I have worked at the Sheffield College as a Mathematics Lecturer since 2010.    

Previously, I have worked at Bradford, Newcastle and Gateshead Colleges.   

Union Experience:  

• Branch committee member, senior case worker and H&S rep. BMSC member  

• Represented and supported members, attended JCC meetings, attended UCU Equality Conference.   

• Delegate to and moved motions at UCU Congress and TUC Black Workers Conference to promote Equality and support casualised staff.  

• UCU Left supporter.  

I am standing to support and promote the FE sector which has had cutbacks and underfunding due to the previous government. This has resulted in narrow curriculum provision with job cuts, redundancies and increased casualisation. With new government in place, we have an opportunity to address this and ask for better pay, work conditions and life-work balance as well as increased resources to support our students. Staff have faced increasing workloads and threat of redundancies as well risks to their health and wellbeing in recent years. UCU needs to challenge these issues effectively and fully support its members.   

As a NEC member, I would seek that UCU campaigns to:  

• Improve the working conditions and pay for its members, with pay rises to support the impact of increase in living costs and match pay with schoolteachers.   

• Improved funding for SEND provision and support for students.  

• Better support for disabled and casualised members who are impacted more by unfair practices at the workplace.  

• oppose the increasing workloads given to members and the resulting redundancies due to underfunding of FE. Members must not pay for lack of proper funding in FE through cuts in their wages and increase in their workloads.   

• challenge and deter the employers' continuing to engage in unfair and oppressive practices and conduct towards members by taking collective action.  

• promote equality, diversity and inclusion and challenge all forms racism and bigotry.   

• take test cases of members to the Employment Tribunal. This is a more effective deterrent than compromise agreements which allow the employers to continue as before.  

• oppose incorrect use of Non-Disclosure Agreements and Confidentiality Clauses, used to silence members, in settlements negotiated between the Union and the employer on members' behalf.  

• have greater accountability to its members by seeking termly publication of case work data and support given to members included cases supported by UCU to the Employment Tribunal.  

I will work constructively within the union to make it more effective in representing you and keeping it democratic and fully accountable to all its members.  

I am supporting Rhiannon Lockley for Vice-President and Deepa Driver for Honorary Treasurer. I am also supporting Sean Vernell, Nina Doran, Nitin Rajyaguru, Dharmender Chuhan, Mike Barton, John Fones and John Parrington. Please also vote for them.  

In Solidarity.