Dr Marion Hersh (University of Glasgow)

Election address

Senior Lecturer, Engineering, Glasgow University

UCU
·       NEC, HEC, 2010-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-2019; Equality Committee  2007-2009
·       UCU Scotland Equality Officer 2018-2019
·       UCU Scotland Executive 2007-2011, 2013-2015, 2017-2019
·       USS negotiator 2011-12, 2013-2018, alternate 2018-2019 
·       Commission on Effective Industrial Action
·       Glasgow Committee from 1990
·       UCU Left

Lifelong anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-war campaigner, campaigner for social justice. 

I've successfully proposed action to NEC, Congress and HE Sector Conference on pensions, TU bill, supporting EU and international staff, stress, victimised reps, points-based immigration, equality impact assessments, human rights act, global climate change, Trident,  Stop the War, Holocaust Memorial Day, non-binary gender, Catalan self-determination,  reforming UCU legal system.

(Scottish) TUC:
·       TUC  Women's, LGB(T) Conferences
·       STUC LGBT Workers' Committee 2012-19, STUC Conference, Disabled Members' and LGTB+ ConferenceS

I am passionate about and committed to higher education.  My vision is a free, publicly-funded and accessible system which encourages people to ask awkward questions.

At its heart UCU must campaign on:
·       Academic freedom
·       Job security, proper contracts and reasonable workloads for everyone
·       A resolute defence of pensions, pay and jobs
·       A collective approach to equality: the rights of women, Black, disabled, LGBT and other minority groups at the centre of our work
·       Active recruitment based on a campaigning UCU
·       No marketisation and commodification of education
·       Against REF and TEF
·       Participatory union democracy

I have participated in many campaigns against job losses, department closures and victimisation - Scottish Education Faculties, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling, Aberdeen, Strathclyde, London Met ... .  I'm active in campaigns against casualisation, pension cuts, points-based immigration and climate change, the women's, disabled members' and LGBT+ networks and supporting Black members.  I've made USS agree to make all its communications fully accessible.

As a USS negotiator I was instrumental in the transformation in UCU, particularly through ensuring we did not settle to early, believing in members and our ability to take action and always pushing for the best deal for members.  I continue to work on ethical and sustainable pensions and making USS communications fully accessible.

We must build for sustained industrial action and encourage members to fight to win in the casualisation, equality, pay and workloads dispute.  Our victory will transform the sector.

UCU must continue to campaign on wider political fronts.  We are part of campaigns against global warming, war, Trident, BNP and dismantling of NHS.  We are for the rights of disabled people and refugees, social justice and green jobs. We should work with other unions, students and anti-cuts groups on wider campaigns and to defend education and access for all.  HE must not become an elite activity for the few, with students customers and knowledge a commodity.