CAROLE HANSON - Call for nominations to NEC Female HE Seat

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS TO NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (NEC), HIGHER EDUCATION FEMALE SEAT

CAROLE HANSON: MEMBERSHIP NUMBER 6020707

Branch number: 09225

19 January 2011

Dear colleague

NOMINATE CAROLE HANSON, BRANCH SECRETARY OF UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON BRANCH, FOR A FIGHTING, DEMOCRATIC UNION.

I am writing to ask your branch to nominate me for the Higher Education female seat on the NEC.

Higher Education is facing unprecedented challenges and the wholesale privatisation which is planned by the government will ensure that education as an end in itself and as a public good which enriches society will be replaced by a watered-down system functioning only as a servant to business. The huge increase in tuition fees will ensure that access will be denied to the majority of working people.

My branch was one of the few in the South East region to forcefully reject this year’s insulting pay offer. We’ve campaigned hard to save our campus nursery, launching a successful defence in the press and on TV. Through our local campaigns, our branch has grown and we have a strong branch committee with committed activists.

My branch listens to our members’ concerns and we know that members will take action if the union shows strong national leadership. Members will develop confidence in their strength if they see that there is united, concerted opposition to the cuts. At our recent special general meeting, our members voted unanimously to take action in the event of compulsory redundancies.

It is vital that we prepare for co-ordinated action against pay cuts, attacks on our pension and attacks on the basic funding of our higher education. We need to make good links with our sister trade unions and with our student unions, locally and nationally.

I am not a member of any political party. I am an unaligned socialist and a supporter of UNISON United Left, which supports a democratic, lay-member led union.

I have been active in my branch for 11 years, as a steward, safety rep and branch secretary for the past 5 years. I’m a delegate to our local Trades Council, which takes a leading role in organising local opposition to the cuts. I’m also a delegate to the South East Regional Higher Education Committee.

Please feel free to invite me to speak to your branch committee. You can contact me by email carole.hanson@brighton.ac.uk and by phone, work number: 01273 642450 or mobile: 07880 553193.

I will be at the Higher Education conference in Harrogate next month and I’ll be happy to meet and talk to branch delegates there.

Please note the nomination period closes on 18 February 2011, so you can only nominate during that period. Please also nominate Max Watson, from London Metropolitan, who is standing for the Higher Education general seat.

Yours in solidarity

Carole Hanson

Branch Secretary, University of Brighton Unison Branch