Vicky Blake UCU (she/her)

@vickyblake.bsky.social

2261 Followers 1800 Following

♥️education ♥️unions ♥️democracy Widening Participation @ Leeds Uni UCU NEC, negotiator, Educ'n Comm Chair, Climate+Ecological Emergency Comm Co-chair @leedsucu Branch Sec vickyblakeucu.uk Neurodivergent, LC #EduSky #AbortionIsHealthcare #CleanTheAir

Head on view of UCU stall in white gazebo, with table at the front and back covered in union “merch” (mostly tote bags and posters), with bunting made of tote bags with different campaign slogans, UCU flags, and UCU baseball caps (pink and white available!). On the right hand side part of the UCU national banner is visible hanging up inside the gazebo. On the front table, left( whiteboard reads “HOW’S YOUR WORKLOAD BING-GOing? - and Workload Bingo posters and UCU joining cards underneath it.
Slightly dingy photo of Martin Webster at the lecturn in a darkened lecture hall underneath a bright projector slide introducing Professor Chris Millward, interim director of Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students. Slide has NEON HE branding.
Photo of the panel on the platform in the Pitman’s Parliament: table with pink TUC North East, Yorkshire & Humber tablecloth in front of early 20thC wood panelling behind the stage, with overhead projector displaying photos with names of panellists under the title - text reads: Panel discussion - demanding equality on the workplace and in society Quinn Roache, TUC (chair) Rachel Ellis (Thompsons Solicitors Ellen Morrison-Smith, DPAC Steering Committee Yvonne Hardman, National Women’s Action for Positive Change
Photo of the front of the Durham Miners’ Hall, home to the chamber known as the Pitman’s Parliament. It’s a beautiful red brick and stone building with a green cupola / dome on part of the roof in the centre. There is a blossom tree on the left in the foreground coming into flower and the sky behind the building is blue with no more than a bit of a hint of cloud in the distance
2 screenshots of tweets from @PeteUK7 #COVIDisAirborne with side by side screen shots showing deletion of reference to aerosol transmission of meningitis. First tweet text reads: There are a few ways to remove aerosols. Ventilation & air filtration are good ways. However, the favoured way by Public Health appears to be just to delete them. Compare what this page said when crawled in Dec 2025 to what it says today. 7th Dec 2025 pictured. 1/ Picture in first tweet screenshot from HSC has “sneezing (aerosol or droplet spread)” highlighted in yellow, whole thing reads: Public Health Agency Protection 1 Meningococcal disease Meningococcal disease is caused by the type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis (also known as meningococcus). This bacteria can live in the nose and throat of healthy people without causing iliness. It spreads through: • Coughing and sneezing (aerosol or droplet spread) • Close contact (such us kissing or sharing a drink) At any time, up to 1 in 10 adults may carry the bacteria without knowing it or feeling sick.
Image of violet Loveheart sweet (round with raised purple heart outline) with purple text in the middle that says "#LoveOurARPS
Picket / march arrives outside a shop “Mac”inside a shopping centre, a banner is visible reading “NGOs ON STRIKE” in black lettering painted on a white sheet banner
Photo of three CNE strikers in green jackets raising fists in solidarity on the picket line outside a shop
Photo looking up at the Liver Building, which is massive, clad in almost sandy coloured stone, with its famous clock tower in shot, and the Liver Bird standing at the top. The sky is pale and cloudy.
View from behind me looking out across the banners stretching ahead at Durham Miners Gala, with a poster pinned to the back of my rucksack, with a picture of Agnes Flues in hi vis and with a megaphone, with “REST IN POWER AGNES FLUES” as text.
Shot of Arley Gill at the podium at congress with larger image of him on screen behind
Screenshot text reads: Out of office/auto-reply - strike days I am currently unavailable and taking part in the University and College Union (UCU) strike action to defend our right to a fair pension / fair pay, secure contracts and equality at work. (*delete as appropriate*) Please redirect your query to university management asking them to listen to staff concerns. Cymraeg: Dydw i ddim ar gael ar hyn o bryd ac yn cymryd rhan mewn streic fel rhan o weithredu diwydiannol gan Undeb y Brifysgol a'r Coleg (UCU) i amddiffyn ein hawl i bensiwn teg / cyflog teg, cytundebau diogel a chydraddoldeb yn y gwaith. (*dileer fel sy'n briodol*) A fyddech cystal ag ailgyfeirio eich ymholiadau at reolwyr y brifysgol gan ofyn iddynt i wrando ar bryderon y staff
Picket outside UCU office in Leeds with red “SOLIDARITY FROM LEEDS TRADES UNION COUNCIL” banner and white banner with colourful writing from the National Shop Stewards Network, and several red Unite flags and hi-vis
Shot of picketers with an array of strike placards and pink hats in the sunshine outside the King’s Gate building that houses the uni’s senior administration
Split photo (screenshot from a video call in March 2020) where the left hand shot is me lying in bed. My head and top of shoulders in pyjamas are visible, I’m a white woman with brown hair and eyes lying on white bedding with a pattern that looks like black paintbrush strokes. I look pale and exhausted but am smiling because I’m on a video call to my (now, but not then) ex’s dog Margot who is in the right hand shot. She’s a black and white whippet cross with a white flash down half her face into her long snoot, wearing red pyjama and in her crate because she was also poorly having had to have an operation during lockdown which was really traumatic for her. She’s no longer with us 💔. She has a quizzical look in her eyes and her ears are pricked up.
Photo of Rhiannon (left) and me next to her, at a TUC conference. It's a little bit blurry with stark conference lighting visible in the space above our heads. I am looking at papers with a concentrating face and Rhiannon is holding up a sign that says 'TRADE UNION CAMPAIGN TO REPEAL THE 8TH' - related to the 2018 referendum in Ireland
Photo of Rhiannon and me seated at a table which tells me this was Women’s TUC annual conference. Rhiannon has on a UCU Your Union, Your Voice, Your Vote T shirt and purple cardi, I’ve got a black Tahir on and we both have our arms raised to vote.
Photo of me and Rhiannon at a picket line, both in our coats and pink UCU beanie hats this time: I’m wearing a UCU Rosie Riveter Tshirt and pink tights with hearts on, Rhiannon is in black with spotty wellies - the Birmingham UCU banner (bright pink with purple stitched writing) is partially visible behind us.
Photo of Rhiannon and me at a demo, with the large pink UCU Cymru banner behind us. Rhiannon has sunglasses on and mine are on my head, it looks like I’ve got a pink UCU flag tucked over my shoulder. We are both smiling.
A selfie angle shot (me on the left in a We Shall Overcome black beanie hat) of Unite UCU picketers and supporters visiting from Leeds UCU and Leeds Trades Council, Red unite flags visible. Shot taken outside UCU Yorkshire and Humber regional office in Leeds
Picket photo outside the UCU Yorkshire and Humber regional office in Leeds- photo of Unite strikers with red hi vis and red Unite flags, and supportive visitors to the picket from UCU members (including me on the left) with the edge of the Uni of Leeds UCU banner visible on the left (pink with purple and white stitched lettering). My pink t shirt reads “Black Staff Matter” top to bottom next to a graphic of a raised fist, with “Black Members Matter” horizontally along the bottom.
Image of tweet 1 from a thread by @UcuUsic on X / Twitter (University of Sheffield International College UCU branch) We are disappointed to report that we are in dispute with our employer, @Study_Group , +are currently holding a consultative ballot for strike action which will close soon. This is in response to 36 academic+student staff being placed at risk of compulsory redundancy /1
Motion 5 Mitigating transmissible disease risks Proposer University of Leeds Word count 145 Conference notes: 1. Air quality in UK workplaces and institutions is rarely mitigated 2. Airborne transmission of diseases including SARS-CoV-2 3. Concerning emergent trends in health, socio-economic, and educational impacts of Covid-19 and sequelae 4. Clean indoor air benefits everyone
Table of plants with a bit of my Mum’s face in profile looking down at them (Mum is a white woman with short grey hair, wearing glasses and a bit of her green cardigan is visible in the window reflection). The plants are in small pots, including several bushy coleus plants (those are mine so they’re looking leggy and like I should have repotted them ages ago), spider plants, two pink/purple cyclamens, and among all this are several pots of sticks where the sticks are in water to encourage rooting etc. Very very tiny green shoots are visible coming out of the top of some of these sticks - fig cutting sticks!
A virtual certificate with text "Celebrating 10M users on Bluesky, #1,227,034, Vicky Blake UCU (she/her) ‪@vickyblake.bsky.social‬, joined on Sep 26, 2023"
Family photo taken in selfie mode by my brother closest to camera (tall white guy in glasses with short brown hair wearing a Monkey Island r shirt (showing evolution from apes to Guybrush Threepwood, it’s a great t shirt), and me (white woman with medium length brown hair jeans and purple vest) leaning sideways to my tiny 2yo nephew with face obscured for privacy pointing to the camera, and my Dad (white man turning 70 today with a full head of shaggy grey/white hair and a “Mr Cool” Mr Men t shirt), niece (face so obscured for privacy), and Mum (white woman with cropped short grey hair in purple cardigan) all on an outdoor patio sofa smiling at the camera. You can tell it’s sunny from the sun shining on the patio and the apple tree behind them and because the bit outdoor sun umbrella is up.
Pic of SmartAir QT3 (mini air purifier that basically looks like an enclosed fan with vents at the front - because that’s what it is, with a filter behind the vents) standing on top of a black portable charger. Aranet CO2 monitor is on top of the QT3 showing 1745ppm CO2 (and the line underneath it is against the red zone), 24.8 degrees C, 54% humidity)
Shot of a path through a (mostly pine I think) forest with tall trees either side and a blue sky visible between them. Light from the sunny day is dappled with shade across the path which is brown, but with layers of green bracken close to ground level mirrors the green as you get closer to the top of the trees.
Electronic flyer with photo of abortion rights pro-choice protesters taking up the bottom half, and at the too it read: STAND UP FOR CHOICE: ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE Save the date: Parliament Square, 7 September 2024, 2pm. Then in pink text box with white writing: Join our counter protest against the anti-abortion bullies at "March for Life"
Electronic flyer with photo of abortion rights pro-choice protesters taking up the bottom half, and at the too it read: STAND UP FOR CHOICE: ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE Save the date: Parliament Square, 7 September 2024, 2pm. Then in pink text box with white writing: Join our counter protest against the anti-abortion bullies at "March for Life"
Greyish sky with cloud a darker grey across the top ~1/5th of the pic, a silhouette of the top of a cliff line/hills with the shape of a church tower discernible right at the bottom, and just above the centre midline the sun is basically a big red disc with a slightly yellow outline which looks like I cut it out of red paper and stuck it on the drew round it with a thin yellow marker pen. No “bleed” of colour like a usual sunset.
Photo of a Devon beach taken from a rocky cliff (visible in foreground) above a sandy beach in a small bay with grass covered cliffs in the distance and rocky outcrops sticking into the blue sea with only small waves, against a blue sky with a few fluffy small white clouds and a haze of pale yellow on the horizon (taken just before 6pm). A few people visible on the beach like tiny ants.
Glorious red and orange sunset behind a small rocky headland in a very flat Devon bit of sea, with a small red and white striped light tower (not full lighthouse) on the lower rocks and a “rounded” fort (Fort Bovisand) above it which is sandy coloured stone with red window shields (it used to be a diving centre once, too). There are hills visible the other side of the water (pretty sure that’s Cornwall across the water because Fort Cawsand is opposite Fort Bovisand though not very easy to see on this picture. The sky is beautiful: the top arc of the setting yellow sun is right above the middle of the fort, and it becomes red and blue range above with striated colours moving into “long and horizontally fluffy” clouds in the top 1/3 of the photo. I’m sure that kind of cloud has a name but I don’t know what it is! The whole scene makes me feel peaceful to look at, and to remember: this is my favourite place.
Robyn doing Vulcan salute, with blue/yellow sign: MR SPOCK SAYS YOUR VALUATION IS ILLOGICAL. Text: Vicky would be the General Secretary who always asks "What can I do to help this union succeed?" and never "What can this union do to help me succeed?" Vicky takes collective organising very seriously, and when she says she will put in the work to try to bring people together, she has a proven track record of doing just that. During part of the three years I served on the New JNCHES (pay&conditions) negotiation team, Vicky was the chair... we spent months in intensive dispute negotiations with the employer & the team worked seamlessly despite being from very different political & factional parts of UCU, constantly communicating with members to ensure we were representing them effectively in the negotiating room. Vicky is the GS candidate who best combines a stellar work ethic with a real dedication to all members of UCU & concrete plans for developing our organising & industrial strategy
Pic: James & Vicky stood between two red brick buildings in Manchester, James (left) wears hi vis yellow UCU Picket vest, Vicky wears pink UCU beanie. Both are smiling & top of a UCU placard is visible. Text: Vicky Blake is my first choice for General Secretary. She’s honest, straightforward, and widely admired as someone who will listen to voices from across the Union and and work with all parties to clarify issues and get results, which is the approach we most need right now. Her 15-year track record of UCU service includes roles up to and including President of the Union, but she has first-hand experience of workplace marginalisation, and can be relied on to stand up for marginalised and precarious members. She also works harder than almost anyone I know in higher education, to a level where I start to feel a bit embarrassed about my own shortcomings, but luckily you don’t need to worry about that: just give her your vote, please. --James Sumner University of Manchester UCU
Pic: Rachel & Vicky at picket Text: I am delighted to see Vicky Blake running for General Secretary & fully endorse her campaign–voting for Vicky is voting for a united & strong UCU, with hugely dedicated, experienced & even-handed leadership capable of building consensus on all the issues that count for our members. Today, Vicky exudes the same extraordinary energy & passionate commitment to justice, representation and fair play as she did when I met her 14 years ago. Her understanding of the Union & of the political complexities befalling the HE & FE sectors in the UK are second to none, in my experience, & full of insights gathered from relentless casework, campaigning & conferring with members at every opportunity. Vicky has all the qualities & values we need in a General Secretary capable of taking the Union forward – vision, integrity, intellect, tenacity, humility, accountability, transparency – & I support her candidacy without hesitation. Prof Rachel Cowgill York UCU Dept Rep
Photo of Caitlin on right holding a pink ON STRIKE TO WIN BACK MY PENSION placard. Text on left reads: Vicky Blake is one of the most effective union activists I have every seen in action. Because she has the full range of experience from extensive rep work to the national role of UCU President, she understands the fundamentals of the union and its structures from the ground up. She knows what support branches and officers need, while also being an inspiring speaker and formidable lobbyist. As an independent she has strong political nous combined with an excellent track record of working across factional lines. And she has my vote because of her demonstrated commitment to improving union democracy, addressing precarious work and building a green union. Caitlin Adams branch president, Open University UCU (Personal Capacity)
Photo of Eve holding UCU placard with painted writing "HOURLY PAID LECTURER" where "HOURLY PAID" is struck out. Text on the left reads: It is my pleasure to endorse Vicky Blake for the position of UCU general secretary. She is undoubtedly the best candidate, with a clear demonstration of unwavering passion and commitment. Her qualities are evident in her manifesto, and having personally known her, I have no doubt that there is no one more dedicated or hard-working for this role. Vicky has consistently supported me throughout my journey and higher education, from my time as a PhD student to a precarious worker and now as an ECR. Her ethos and radical care for others would represent a significant step forward for UCU. Dr Eveleigh Buck Matthews. Birmingham City University UCU
I am proud to support Vicky Blake&desperately hope she will be our next General Secretary. This isn’t because we agree on everything but because I know Vicky will work tirelessly with everyone to rebuild members’ trust in the union, to mend the broken industrial relations with Ucu staff & to practice the values we fight for in our workplaces. Her independence is important. Her manifesto doesn’t require the election of a slate to be realised& she will work with rather than demonise elected representatives on NEC. & she will enhance & protect one of the core values of the trade union movement: that we make decisions collectively through dialogue. Being a general secretary is not about appearing on Question Time or LBC, or likes on social media, it is about supporting workers to organise & improve our working lives. Vicky listens, is strong enough to take criticism & brings people together. She is what the union desperately needs right now. Dr Lucy Burke MMU UCU Branch Chair, NEC NW Rep
Image of Alex holding a hand made "Vicky Blake 4 General Sec" poster and smiling, with text in campaign template: Dr Alex Fairfax-Cholmeley, Communications Officer University of Exeter UCU I am really excited that Vicky is standing as a candidate for General Secretary, and I say that even though I have never actually met her. She took the time and trouble to answer an informal call for help from a couple of Exeter members to help boost our Get The Vote Out efforts back in late 2021 (when Exeter was stuck in a depressing cycle of missed ballot thresholds). Within no time at all, Vicky drummed up speakers for a GTVO event, and then chaired the resulting multi-branch event with warm efficiency. She has long been a prominent voice for the kind of union that I want to be a member of: one that fights tenaciously for its most vulnerable members. She is a great communicator and has excellent, valuable trade union experience to draw upon. She is the General Secretary we need in 2024.
Endorsement graphic with text as follows and pic of Vicky and Chris on a UCU picket line: I have known Vicky since we were 9 years old. She has had the same characteristics of being fiercely intelligent, astute and most importantly, caring and compassionate, in all this time. She would make a fantastic General Secretary for UCU. Comrades, please give her your vote! Chris Hesketh, Sussex Uni UCU Vicky Blake for UCU General Secretary 2024
I worked with Vicky Blake when I joined the Anti Casualisation Committee. Vicky combines being a very kind and compassionate person with a fierce determination to challenge injustice. Vicky has a rigorous understanding of how casualisation affects UCU members in all sectors and in my time on the committee she was supportive of people’s creative ideas and always encouraging as we tried different approaches to fight it. She always treated FE and ACE issues, where I work, as equal to HE issues. She is deeply committed to union democracy and rank and file approaches and listens to everybody. I am very happy to endorse her campaign for General Secretary. Millie Wild Hackney Adult and Community Education UCU and New City College Hacknet UCU
Vicky has been an outstanding servant of UCU for many years&is the outstanding candidate for General Secretary. What this union need more than anything is a GS who respects the NEC&an NEC that respects the GS. Vicky’s ability to reach out to all parts of our membership mean she is already widely respected across the union. Never one to follow self-interest, when she says she will respect the democratic structures she means it&has the track-record to prove it. I was lucky enough to work closely with Vicky when she was chair of UCU’s USS negotiating team. Those negotiations were incredibly challenging, yet she kept our team together& on-track with immense fortitude&patience, never wavering from what members had tasked us with & setting a path that led to us securing a historic victory. If you are looking for a candidate who will work tirelessly for you, who believes the means are as important as the ends&who is genuinely independent of factional allegiance, then you need look no further.
Screenshot of tweet from X/Twitter from @IERUK Institute of Employment Rights with 2 photos of Pete and me standing up to speak on a panel to the IER climate bargaining conference in November 2023. Actual tweet: https://twitter.com/IERUK/status/1717896327890080233 Text of tweet: In our bargaining session, @zenscara & @Peterrhwood of @ucu discuss how their union has aimed to introduce climate demands within their collective bargaining structures - a collective response, whilst combatting casualisation at the same time. #ClimateJustice #GreenBargaining
MATERIAL BREACHES - NOTIFICATION OF CONTRAVENTION 1/Work-related stress: lack of suitable and sufficient risk assessment Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, section 2(1) Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulations 3(1) and 3(6)(a) HSE was initially contacted in June 2023 by Unite in relation to their concern about the lack of organisational risk assessment in place for work-related stress at UCU. Following this, an officer from HSE's concerns and advice team contacted UCU with a request for information.
Another shot of the picket line full of people in brightly coloured outdoor Big Coats and quite a lot of UCU pink caps and beanies, some have their arms up and lots of smiles. Lots of strike placards, including a home made one that reads "FAIR PAY SO WE CAN STAY", and another "SEN TEACHING ASSISTANTS , MIN WAGE, NO PAY STRUCTURE". Many dogs! Weather a bit grey but members look resolute!
Picket line lineup of dogs! With sign in foreground that reads "OUR PAY IS APPAWLING" with paw prints.
Shot of picket line on grass verge with lots of dogs visible including a brown and white spaniel pulling towards the camera and other dogs all looking in the same direction. Members smiling in UCU caps all around.
Picket line full of people in brightly coloured outdoor Big Coats and quite a lot of UCU pink caps and beanies. Lots of strike placards, including a home made one that reads "FAIR PAY SO WE CAN STAY", and loads of dogs also. Weather a bit grey but members look resolute!