A message from Roger

The UCU general secretary ballot result has now been declared and Sally Hunt has been elected. The union and our members face major and difficult challenges from employers and government in almost every aspect of our working lives. The turnout was just 13.9 per cent which in itself suggests the scale of the challenge the union faces. I wish Sally Hunt very well in meeting those challenges. To meet them successfully will require a clear strategic vision and a determined articulate response which members can have confidence in and ownership of. I will seek to play my part in ensuring that is the case through my continuing role as Head of Equality and Employment Rights Finally I would like to sincerely thank the hundreds of members who sent messages of support and campaigned during the election.

Tuesday, 30 January 2007

Monday 29th January

Tremendous show of solidarity by UCU members in Northern Ireland FE

Five hundred FE lecturers – 1 in 5 of our membership in Northern Ireland - marched through Belfast today in a striking demonstration of the strength of feeling over the miserable failure of Peter Hain to ensure a 2001 pay agreement is implemented.

I had the pleasure of joining them at a thunderous rally. This was the sixth day of strike action since last May as part of the long running campaign for pay parity with school teachers doing similar work which has been compounded by the decision of Peter Hain, Secretary of State, to impose a pay cap on lecturers’ pay at the insistence of the UK Treasury with the connivance of college Principals.

I told the rally that it was shameful that Ministers and Principals dared to suggest that lecturers are putting their self interest ahead of the interests of students when it is lecturers who work long hours of unpaid overtime and are dedicated to helping students succeed.

There is at last some slight sign of movement amongst politicians. We’ll have to see if today’s tremendous response helps that process.

Congratulations to our members in Northern Ireland – a model for all of us!

Read the press coverage of the Rally check out the article here
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A trade unionist all his working life. An activist and a proud campaigner, Roger has consistently worked to defend human rights of workers. As the leader of the Equality and Employment Rights team in the newly formed UCU he continues to unite the movement around equality and keep employment rights at the top of the agenda.