UNISON’s National Executive Council runs our union and determines the kind of union we are and can become. It is made up of 68 UNISON members just like you! NEC elections this year are hugely important to determine whether UNISON succeeds and wins for you at work and on pay.

One of our branch members Jocelyn Cruywagen is standing in this year’s election for the NEC.

How the election works

Voting will be from 21 April to 21 May. Lookout for your ballot paper which will be posted to your home address.
Members can vote in all the regional seats and all the national Black and disabled member seats, regardless of your own ethnicity or whether you consider yourself disabled or not.
Members will only be able to vote for the service group candidates for the service group you are a member of e.g. Local government only. And members only get a vote in the Young Member seats if you are 30 years old or under.

Members are strongly encouraged to use all the votes available to them.

Who your branch is backing

UNISON, like any organisation, needs to change and adapt to new conditions if it is to succeed. Your branch believes that the candidates we nominated will continue to see through the kind of changes we need in UNISON and will deliver on their promises.

• UNISON must be a member-led union – this means that elected members should run our union, not appointed full-time officials. Elected members must be the real leaders.
• We need to be an organising, not a servicing, union – we cannot solve all of our members’ problems on a one-by-one basis. Members will always need individual support, but the focus should be on collective action.
• The pay crisis – UNISON must end the scourge of low pay. We need to deliver on national pay negotiations. We cannot simply approach pay negotiations the way that UNISON’s leadership has done in the past.
• UNISON should play a positive but challenging role with the Labour Government. We should promote UNISON policy on public services and not accept austerity as inevitable from any government.
• We must review UNISON’s main legal services contract and particularly the difficulties branches have accessing timely employment law advice.

That’s why your branch is backing these candidates, below.
Take part in UNISON’s NEC elections. It’s your union, so have your say in how it’s run!

Jocelyn Cruywagen Greater London (Female)	Liz Wheatley Greater London (Female)	Andrew Berry Greater London (General)
Jane Doolan Local Gov seat (Female)	Andrea Egan Local Gov seat (Female)	David Jones Local Gov seat (General)
Jenny Black Local Gov seat (General)	Antonia Bright Black Members (Female)	Amerit Rait Black Members (Male)
Julia Mwaluke Black Members (Reserved – low pay)	April Ashley Black Members (Female)	Natasha Bednall Young Members (Female)
Kameron Spence Young Members (General)	Tara Thomas Disabled seat (General)	Ellie Waple Disabled members (Female)