Keep to the left! Higher Ed Service Group elections left slate

Sandy Nicoll, Molly Cooper & Consuelo Moreno on SOAS picket

I strongly recommend voting for:

* Sandy Nicoll, London General seat
* Molly Cooper, London Female seat

North West female
* Linda Holden

Eastern general:
Mark Dee Smith

South East general:
Ivan Bonsell

I have worked closely with Linda Holden, Sandy Nicoll and Molly Cooper on the HE SGE over the last two or three years and always valued their opinions and contributions.

Linda Holden, Sandy Nicoll, Sarah Pickett, Kath Owen,
Molly Cooper, & yours truly paying tribute to Bob Crow: legend.

Linda Holden is Branch Secretary of Manchester Met - a highly regarded, long standing activist who is well known at conference for challenging the standing orders - sometimes with success. When needed I have called on Linda many times for advice and once asked her to accompany me to a meeting. You can rely on Linda.

Like most London HE Branch Secretaries, I have known Sandy Nicoll since the moment I became active in my branch. Many activists in HE rightly look to Sandy, as SOAS Branch Sec and previously as HE London regional Chair, for inspiration and advice on just about any issue. I rang Sandy when I was called to a suspension hearing this time last year and at the drop of a hat he came across town to accompany me. That was the start of a successful campaign against a witch hunt in my workplace, and that is the sort of rep Sandy is; the kind of activist we badly need on the HE SGE.

Molly Cooper has been absolutely solid; a stalwart on the HE SGE representing the London female seat well over the last couple of years and her voice has been crucial in sustaining the strong campaign we've led so far over pay. If reps like Molly and Sandy had not argued from the outset for a strong push for action last year we would never have even had a ballot in September. Molly has also put a lot of work into highlighting and promoting the need to take high workloads seriously.

Almost all London HE branches rejected the pay offer during the consultative ballot last summer - and we have taken robust action in the capital over pay since as a result. It's vital that London - with our spiralling costs of living - continues to be represented by strong candidates. The same goes for the North West - keep to the left!

We also need to support the already strong team by electing new blood: we need dedicated, principled left activists on the HE SGE who are in favour of leading resistance when needed. We need people who believe and can develop a strategy to win, rather than calling off action from the outset. That is why I am advocating a vote for Mark Dee Smith and Ivan Bonsell, for the East and South-East general seats.

Justice for cleaners picket at SOAS: Sandy Nicoll is Branch Sec &
Consuelo Moreno is one of several cleaners reps

Consuelo Moreno stood for the low paid female seat - she is a cleaner from SOAS. The justice for cleaners campaign at SOAS is an incredible struggle for sick pay, holidays and pension rights equal to their in-house colleagues, including taking three days of hugely successful and inspiring industrial action (see photo).  I have seen Conseulo in action on their various protests and picket lines and been in utter admiration of the SOAS Justice for Cleaners campaign for some time now.

So I'm delighted that the following left candidates have been elected unopposed:

• Consuelo Moreno: London low paid female seat
• Kath Owen: Yorkshire and Humber female seat
• Sarah Pickett: South east female seat
• Andy Beech: NorthWest general seat

It is a pity Matt Raine is not standing again - his contribution has always been welcomed by the lay reps. Best wishes continuing to leading Birmingham Uni branch which he can now devote his attention to.