James Eaden (Chesterfield College)
Championing the interests of FE members
I am standing for election, because I believe that the experience I have gained as branch activist in can be used to champion the interests of FE members in our union. At Chesterfield College, an active recruitment campaign has resulted in our branch membership growing significantly over the last few years. I support the strategy for our union outlined in the 'Manifesto for Further Education', produced by the London region of UCU.
FE lecturers face sustained attacks from college managers, driven by New Labour’s market-orientated policies. The recent cut backs in Adult Education provision make a mockery of the government’s commitment to “Education, Education Education” and have been used by college managers as a pretext to further casualise lecturing and drive down rates of pay.
In Further Education much needed funding is tied to further fragmentation and privatisation. New government measures such as “Train to Gain” and the introduction of ‘contestability’, outlined in the Learning and Skills Bill, are a blue-print for private providers to ‘cherry pick’ areas of provision.
To effectively resist the impact of these proposals we need a strong and active union, at national, regional and particularly branch level. I believe that I can use my experience of building up a strong local branch at Chesterfield College to help construct the sort of national union that we need to face the challenges ahead.
National workload campaign and effective action on pay
A key issue for many lecturers is workload and related stress. There is continual pressure to increase our workload - we all know that our health suffers as does the education we give to our students. I will campaign for UCU to develop an effective national workload campaign and anti–stress strategy. We must ensure that the proposals for 35 hours of continuous professional development does not lead to increased workloads.
On pay we continue to lag well behind our school teacher colleagues despite, numerous promises by government ministers that they will ‘close the gap.’ Our colleagues in Higher Education last year showed that united national industrial action on pay can have a real impact. We need effective national action on pay that ensures that all of our members get the negotiated national pay deal.
Engaging in the wider world
Our newly formed union has enormous potential. It’s vital that within UCU we sustain the best of NATFHE’s practice of defending members’ interests, campaigning for progressive educational values and engaging in the wider world. In the uncertain world of war and globalisation, unions have to be beacons of social justice and peace. It matters that our union opposes the waste of £25 billion on a replacement for Trident, it is important that our union has been at the forefront of opposition to the bloody war in Iraq and in defence of civil rights under attack in this country.
A vote for me is a vote for an active, campaigning union with a strong voice for rank & file members.
UCU involvement at national and branch level:
I am a main grade lecturer and UCU Branch Chair at Chesterfield College. I am a UCU delegate to East Midlands Region and Chesterfield TUC, and East Midlands delegate to NATFHE Annual National Conference. I have been an active NATFHE member since starting my teaching career in 1989, holding branch officer positions in both of the colleges I have worked in.
Prior to my teaching career I worked in the engineering industry and was a shop steward in the AEU (now AMICUS). In addition to my workplace trade union activity I have a long track record as a campaigner. I am active in the Stop the War Coalition, in anti-racist campaigning and a member of the UCU Left members’ network within our union.
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