2025/26 Elected Members’ Candidate Statements

Danielle Lamb – Treasurer

I have been an AUT/UCU trade unionist since 2000, holding roles as departmental rep, Executive Committee member, and officer for many years, including being UCL UCU Treasurer for the past year. In that time I have, with support from our branch administrator and other officers, obtained a branch credit card, set up accounts with various services to enable branch activities (printers, catering etc.), paid all invoices promptly, and provided accounting information to UCU HQ for the annual accounts. The branch finances are now running smoothly, and we are able to function better and be more effective as a result, for example, swiftly donating money to other branches taking strike action, and paying for members to travel to national events at short notice. I am not a member of any faction of UCU, and believe our time is best spent fighting to improve members’ terms and conditions, rather than others in our own union. I value inclusivity and tolerance of diverse views, and academic freedom is extremely important to me. As a fixed term member of staff, and a mental health researcher, I am particularly interested in how precarious short-term contracts impact individuals and academia as a whole.

Saladin Meckled-Garcia – Vice-President

Saladin has been the Branch Secretary, President, Comms officer, and Vice President of the branch in the past. He has been part of leading the branch through significant industrial disputes and in negotiations with management. He is active on academic freedom and governance matters in the university.

Maria-Novella Mercuri – Anti-Casualisation Officer

I have been at UCL almost continuously since 1986, when I arrived for my Year Abroad in the English Department, to then continue as MA student (Philosophy), PhD student (German) and PGTHE student (CALT). I have been a member of UCU (and before of NATHFE as a Lecturer at University of Central Lancashire) since I started working at UCL as Academic Administrator and Teaching Fellow (Italian), Undergraduate Officer and Teaching Fellow (SELCS) and Lecturer (Teaching) (SELCS). I have represented Teaching Fellows in the Academic Board, in the SELCS Management Team and in the Concordat working group and now I hope that this combined experience may be of some use as Anti-Casualisation Officer.

I believe that it is in the interest of everybody—teachers, researchers, students, the institution and the union—to go back to the one academic contract that once existed, and that recognised the academic job in its integrity as a three-pronged one made up of equally valued involvement in teaching, research and administration. I believe that the bracketed ‘Teaching’ definition is derogatory as well as misleading, because there is no teaching that can be done at UCL without continual activity as a researcher in a chosen field. I am also concerned that the current sub-categorization has increased casualisation and, in the current climate of attack to freedom of expression and freedom of teaching, created a sub-class of vulnerable academic workers.

Mark Newman – Ordinary Committee Member

I have worked at UCL IOE since 2003 where I started on a fixed term research contract, eventually managing to get onto an academic contract.  I have experienced working life of all kinds at UCL having been a Programme Leader, Funded P.I on research projects,  Manager , Doctoral Supervisor, research team member.  I have am involved in UCL Governance as an elected member of Academic Board. I have been a UCU Rep since 2003 and a member of IOE UCU Exec and then UCL Exec when IOE branch merged with UCL Branch.  I help coordinate the IOE UCU section reps and members.

I think it is important for members to understand that worker solidarity within and outside UCL is at the core of UCU’s ability to defend and improve their rights and conditions.  Showing solidarity with all workers and oppressed people not only within UCL but across the Globe is a key function of Trade Unions.   Beyond UCU I am part of UCL BDS group, UCL Climate Activist Network and a member of IWGB trade union which supports outsourced workers at UCL.   

Benet Salway – Ordinary Committee Member

I have been a member of the branch Executive Committee for a year now but of UCU (and before it the AUT) since September 1994, when I started my first lecturing job at the University of Manchester. I have been at UCL (in the History Department) almost continuously since 1995 as Research Fellow, Lecturer, and Senior Lecturer. In that time I have taken on various senior administrative roles at departmental and Faculty level, and governance roles on Academic Board and Council but, until last year, had never before stood for membership of the UCU Executive Committee. Since then I have undertaken training to become a union rep and have supported members in departments across the full breadth of the institution as well as represented UCU in various consultations on policy revisions. From October I will once again be on UCL Council but I hope to still have enough time to continue to be useful to the Executive Committee.

Ala’a Shehabi – Ordinary Committee Member

I have been an active UCL UCU member for seven years, including two on the Executive Committee.

My union work is driven by a deep commitment to social and racial justice. Having various formal EDI roles in the university, I am dedicated to fighting institutional racism and to combat the scourge of casualisation. We must win secure contracts and manageable workloads for all staff.

In a climate of increasing political pressure, I will robustly defend academic freedom, especially for colleagues undertaking critical research on Palestine and other targeted fields. I believe in a democratic, member-led union that is unafraid to fight for a fairer, more ethical university.

Holly Smith – Branch President

Last June I was elected Branch President for the first time, where my role is chairing the Executive Committee and General Meetings. I’m a Lecturer in Higher Education at IOE and I’ve served on the Executive Committee of IOE and UCL branches pre-merger, and as Joint Vice President and Equality Officer previously.  

I stood for re-election as I believe I made positive changes to the effective functioning of the Executive Committee this year, with more synchronous meetings, less email and more positivity. I organised a Strategic Planning Awayday in September with the Branch Administrator mapping our union density to allow us to plan recruitment and campaigning. I hope to work with the new Executive Committee to do the same this year.  

A strong network of Dept Reps is key to an effective branch, and I have continued to support new Dept Reps, encouraging participation in UCU training and organizing regular meetings for the Dept Reps Network. The Dept Reps Network is a great example of peer-to-peer support and collectivising our problems. This is a challenging time for so many universities facing cuts and redundancies, and we will continue to offer solidarity to other UCU branches across the UK from UCL.  

Anca Tacu – Environment Officer

I am standing for the position of UCL UCU Environment Officer as I have done in the previous years when I have been Environment Rep of our branch. In addition to continuing to contribute to the Executive Committee, I intend to  build on our current position and the work done so far to pursue our aims of having both good working conditions for staff and strong environmentally informed policies at UCL. As the institution embarks upon implementing its reviewed Sustainability Strategy, I intend to ensure that the full range of our interests are represented by continuing to feed into decision-making through engagement with the institutional governance structures and development of our working groups.

Sean Wallis – Branch Secretary

I am a longstanding member of the UCL UCU branch and have been active in the union over many years. I’m an experienced rep and negotiator, and am also a member of the union’s National Executive Committee. I’m a socialist, I believe the union belongs to its members, and that we have to work together to defend our members but also to strive to make the university – and the world we live in – a better place for all.

Nalini Vittal – Ordinary Committee Member

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you again as a member of the UCL UCU Executive. I’ve done this for some years now.

The climate within which UCL UCU negotiates remains harsh, anomalous, ungiving, and when it comes to negotiating working conditions, calculated to wear us down. Casework can worry members and their reps. Being a rep takes time and energy.

To be honest I haven’t given of my best, and after every incident I feel I ought to have done more. Therefore it seems rather cheeky to appear again before you. If you’re willing to support my less-than-100% work, I’d consider it a privilege to continue.

Union work can be double-edged, depressing on the one hand yet also energizing from the determination, goodwill, and experience of comrades.