Lecturers vote on top job as third candidate joins Unite race


Voting is underway among the 105,000 members of the University and College Union (UCU) in the election of their next general secretary. 


There are two candidates — incumbent Sally Hunt and challenger Jo McNeill of the University of Liverpool.


Hunt has headed the union since its inception in 2006. Prior to that, she had been leader of one of its predecessor unions, the AUT, since 2002. 


McNeill is president of the University of Liverpool UCU branch and has been on the union’s ruling executive for four years. She is being supported by UCU Left.


The ballot runs from 1 February to 1 March, and the winner will take office for five years beginning 1 June 2017.


Meanwhile, nominations in the leadership election in general union Unite will close on 17 February, with a third candidate looking to join the race with Len McCluskey and Gerard Coyne. 


Ian Allinson, Unite convenor at Fujitsu in Manchester, says he is launching a “grass-roots socialist challenge” to the incumbent. 


Allinson, who points out that he is a workplace activist, says he wants to provide an alternative to McCluskey who, he says, is “offering more of the same” and Coyne, who is “offering to turn the clock back to the bad old days”.


https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/7228/UCU-elections-2016-17

www.unitetheunion.org/growing-our-union/about-us/structure/2017-general-secretary-election