The successful election of Andrea Egan as General Secretary has caused a by-election in a national Female Local Government seat.
West Sussex branch committee has completed the branch nomination stage and decided to back Liz Wheatley, branch secretary at Camden branch.
Now all members in Local Government will get to vote, including members in the West Sussex branch.
Postal ballots will start to land through letterboxes of all of UNISON’s 613,000 members in Local Government from Friday 8th May. If you’re in the Local Government Service Group, look out for your ballot, and make sure you vote, and encourage colleagues to do the same.
Why we are backing Liz
Liz is Branch Secretary of Camden UNISON, and was a regional rep on UNISON’s NEC from 2019-2025.
Liz has organised successful strikes – Camden traffic wardens winning a £5,000 pay increase. Camden is currently fighting for more pay for Teaching Assistants, with strike action taking place in schools currently in the London borough. Liz is committed to an organising union and says:
I was proud to support Andrea Egan to be our General Secretary. I am committed to working closely with her to bring about the changes necessary for UNISON to be a union that stands up to the bosses and politicians when they try to cut the services we provide, the wages we deserve or attack working class people.
No longer should we put the interests of the Labour Party first; UNISON members must be our priority. We need a UNISON where branches and activists get the organising support and resources they need, and we deliver real wins for members.
West Sussex branch thinks Liz is the best candidate in this election and hope to see her alongside West Sussex branch members Dan Sartin and Abi Holdsworth on our Union’s National Executive Council soon.
Liz Wheatley