The 2022 round of elections for UCU’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will open on Thursday 27 January 2022 and close on Tuesday 1 March 2022. The NEC is one of the most important decision-making bodies in the union and its members are elected by UCU members, yet turnout in the NEC election is notoriously low (around 12-13% in the 2019-20 round).
UCU’s NEC and its importance
The NEC includes representatives from Higher Education and Further Education, some of whom are elected regionally, some on a UK-wide basis, plus equality seats, the presidential team, and other officers of the union. The NEC is composed of about 60 members. Members serve a term of two years, and elections take place every year for half the seats. The current list of members is here (requires login using your UCU membership number).
The NEC is responsible for conducting the union’s business between UCU Congress meetings. There are sub-committees for HE (HEC) and FE (FEC). The HEC is the body that has been making decisions about the conduct of the ‘Four Fights’ and USS pensions industrial disputes.
For further discussion on NEC and other UCU structures, see ‘UCU’s national democratic structures: a case for reform’ (#USSbriefs23) by Rachel Cohen and ‘What are UCU’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Higher Education Committee (HEC)?’ (#USSbriefs74) by Kirsten Forkert and Nick Hardy.
Election practicalities
The ballot period is Thursday 27 January 2022 until Tuesday 1 March 2022. It is a postal vote. UCU has posted information about the election, including the list of all the candidates and their election addresses, here.
This election uses a single transferable voting system. You can rank candidates in order of preference and you can vote for as many candidates as you wish. If there are candidates who you do not want elected, you should not list them at all. None of your votes are wasted. If your first-ranked candidate already has enough votes to win, or has no chance of winning, your vote is transferred to your second-ranked choice.
In some instances, the same candidate is standing for more than one seat. You can vote for these candidates several times (once for each seat they are standing for) and, again, no vote is wasted: if they are elected to one seat, your vote for them in the other seat will automatically be reallocated to your next-ranked candidate. For the Regional Seats (e.g. North West HE or Midlands HE), your ballot papers will only list the candidates for your own region.
UCU Commons candidates
UCU Commons is putting forward the following candidates who we recommend you vote and campaign for. Each of these candidates is standing on their own merits, with their own political convictions, and they will not be expected to toe any particular ‘party line’ if they are elected. They come from the grassroots and have experienced the sharp end of HE marketisation. Several are in precarious contracts. These are people who can bring forth a new vision for a revitalised union.
You can read their collected election statements here.
Candidates in each category are listed in alphabetical order by surname.
Trustees (2 seats)
Anna Marie Roos, Lincoln
Steve Brown, Nottingham Trent
North East HE (3 seats)
David Harvie, Leeds
Laura Chuhan Campbell, Durham
London and the East HE (5 seats to include at least two women)
Dave Ashby, LSE
Emma Kennedy, Greenwich
Esther Murray, QMUL
UK-elected members HE (5 seats; to include at least one post-92, one academic related)
Carl Fraser, Oxford Brookes
David Harvie, Leeds
Emma Kennedy, Greenwich
Esther Murray, QMUL
Nicky Priaulx, Cardiff
Representatives of women members – Higher education (3 seats)
Emma Rees, Chester
Jo Edge, Edinburgh
Laura Chuhan Campbell, Durham
Blogpost image original on Pixabay.
UCU Commons 
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