NEC casual vacancy: higher education (UK-elected)
An casual vacancy has arisen on UCU's National Executive Committee. The vacancy is for a UK-wide representative for higher education. This means that all members in HE can vote in this by-election.
Voting takes place by postal ballot. The voting window opens on Monday 18th August and closes on Thursday 18th September. We urge you to vote for UCU Commons candidate Matt Barnard.
I'm Matt Barnard, a philosophy lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, and I'm standing for the UCU NEC as your UK-wide representative for higher education.
Below you'll find my electoral address and endorsements from colleagues.
Our sector faces significant challenges, and I hope to have the opportunity to work towards decisive action on the Higher Education Committee.
I have also written three blog posts during the election period, and you can find them here, here and here.
Electoral address
I’m a philosophy lecturer from a working class family, a first-generation student, completing my doctorate part time while working, and who recently became a full time permanent lecturer after a decade of casualised contracts. I feel extremely lucky for where I have ended up, and, because of how I got here, no matter how precarious things feel for me during the major crisis the sector finds itself in, I recognise that there are people in much more challenging situations. These perspectives are unrepresented in elected roles, which is part of why I wish to stand.
I’ve benefited from the expansion of access to Higher Education, and after fourteen years of misrule by the Conservatives, their goal of snatching those opportunities back through high fees, no grants and choking universities of resources seems close to fruition. Hopes that the new Labour government would intervene with meaningful reform have faded as global economic instability seems to make any increase in funding less likely by the week. In short, if this aggressive neglect and harm continues, people like me will continue to have fewer opportunities, they will be less likely to study non-vocational subjects like philosophy, and the academy will lose its ability to learn from as broad a range of backgrounds and experiences as possible.
People are already losing their jobs and we seem on course to lose whole institutions as the crisis in our sector rumbles along. Institutions better able to weather the storm are inevitably seeking to further their advantage, re-entrenching the historical hierarchies that plague British higher education. This includes the dubious distinction between ‘teaching’ and ‘research’ Universities, being more willing to hire a single professor than to offer secure contracts to casually employed workers.
Our focus should be on protecting vulnerable institutions, campaigning for better working conditions and equity. We must recognise that while many members are struggling after more than a decade of pay erosion, we were not able to win in previous rounds of strike action. The key priority now must be protecting jobs and fighting for a stable sector where job security and decent pay and conditions are not played off against each other by unscrupulous employers.
As the crisis continues to develop, we approach what might be UCU’s most challenging fights UCU’s yet. I want to represent you with a realist approach towards these challenges and dedicated to working towards an NEC and HEC that is in line with all workers in the sector.
I am a member of UCU Commons. For more information, please visit:
Endorsements
I’m pleased to endorse Matt Barnard for the role of UK-wide representative on the NEC for Higher Education. He is one of the most driven and thoughtful people I’ve worked with in higher education. He brings a rare mix of real-world experience, determination, and a deep sense of fairness. He knows how to make things happen, and he always keeps the bigger picture – and the people in it – in mind. His energy and empathy lift those around him, helping teams to do their best work.
Dr Keith Crome, Principal Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University
I am extremely excited to endorse Dr Matthew Barnard as UK wide NEC representative for Higher Education. One of the wonderful things about being part of a union is you can nominate an actual socialist. I’ve worked with Matt for many years in different environments, and he brings clarity, commitment, and a history of principled action for UCU. Grounded in the everyday priorities of members, he combines strategic thinking with a belief in the collective power of the union. He listens, organises, and acts – always focused on what strengthens us. Matt will be principled, practical, and led by members. He will be a great representative!
Dr Patrick O’Connor, Associate Professor in Philosophy, University of Staffordshire
I’ve sat on our NEC and its sectoral subcommittee, HEC, for the last five years and one thing I can say with absolute confidence is that we need more people like Matt Barnard on these committees. Firstly, because we need more representation from Matt’s background: first-generation, and from a post-92 institution. And secondly, because of Matt’s attributes: he is deeply thoughtful, exceptionally considerate, and not afraid to speak his mind. He will work hard to represent all UCU’s members. Why would I NOT endorse him?
Dr Jo Edge, Goldsmiths, University of London
As chair of UCU’s Recruitment, Organising and Campaigning Committee, part of my role is to help keep our union focused on being relevant to existing members and making ourselves appealing to potential ones. That means we need to understand where workers in higher education are at, develop strategies for organising effectively across different workplaces and contexts, and campaign on issues impacting those workforces and communities. Through interacting with Matt over the last few years, I have become convinced that he is exactly the kind of person who we need more of in our union as we do this work. Matt’s lived experiences as a first-gen, working class academic with years of experience on casualised contracts has given him a deep personal understanding of key issues facing so many in our sector and what is needed to build a more effective union that can help reorient our sector, the government and wider society back to understanding higher education as a social good. Please join me in voting for Matt when your ballot lands in your mailbox!
Dr Mark Pendleton, University of Sheffield; Chair of UCU’s Recruitment, Organising and Campaigning Committee and USS Negotiator
This year, I am the chair of UCU’s Equality Committee, meaning I have a leading role in furthering our union’s equalities-related policy and organising agendas. In this capacity, but also in my own personal position as a casualised academic struggling to retain a foothold in HE, I couldn’t be more pleased to endorse Matt for UK-wide representative in HE. I’ve known Matt for a couple of years now, and he is kind, thoughtful, principled and happy to get stuck in, which is exactly what we need more of on NEC. He also has a deep understanding and appreciation of the fact that we must save the HE sector, not only to protect our own jobs and livelihoods, but also because it is a collective good that we desperately need to face an uncertain future. Please vote for Matt when your ballot arrives!
Dr Matilda Fitzmaurice, Lancaster University; Chair of UCU’s Equality Committee