Nominations have now closed

So nominations have now closed. Thanks to everyone that supported me and helped me get nominations!

I'm really proud of the nominations I've received, from across the union. I've been nominated by a real diverse group of branches from different regions (from the Southampton to Glasgow) and and different service groups (from police to local government).

I'm paticularly proud of the Young Members Forums that have nominated me, including the National Young Members Forum and North West Regional Young Members Forum. Unfortunatley most regions haven't had a meeting within the nominations period, including my own West Midlands Regional Young Members Forum. It's a shame that more Young Members Forums couldn't nominate, as it's the only way young members can autonomously take part in the nominations process. I hope in the next round of elections we can increase participation by Young Members Forums by flagging it up with regions well in advance when planning meeting schedules.

We now move to the next stage of getting the vote out in the postal ballot, which opens on April 16th. So plenty more support will be needed in the run up to and during the ballot, thanks again.

Election Address

James Anthony for the Young Members Seat on the NEC

www.james4nec.blogspot.com

I work in a Birmingham hospital, as a recently qualified Nurse. I'm standing to ensure that our voices are heard at the heart of our union, because I'm the candidate with the vision, experience and record to achieve this and with the support of the National Young Members Forum. Young workers are a vulnerable group: from the young mother struggling on the youth rate of the minimum wage, to the new nurses left debt-ridden and jobless due to NHS cuts.

As a union we must be committed to organising all sections of our workforce, and young members must be a priority within that. I joined UNISON when I got my first job at 17. Unfortunately the 'Got a job: get a union' idea isn't instilled into every young person. To organise these workers we must recruit them into a relevant and dynamic organisation that values members and enables us to stand up and win for ourselves and our colleagues.

I believe that 3 key challenges face the NEC young members rep:

• Prioritising and listening to Young Members

The young members who elect me will remain my priority throughout my time on the NEC, reporting back and listening are essential. We must ensure united young members structures - only together will we have a strong voice within UNISON and beyond.

• Young Members at the centre of our union and our campaigns

The Young Members Survey reveals that we, like all members, see our key issues being pensions and the welfare state. While it's important we continue to campaign on issues such as equality in the Minimum Wage and Votes at 16, it's vital that we put more energy into a youth dimension of campaigns such as ‘Protect Our Pensions’ and ‘Positively Public’.

• Developing support for young activists

Young member recruitment has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years thanks to hard work across the union. Now the key is to ensure we can turn more of young members into activists. With tailored developmental support, more young members can go on to lead their branches and the wider union.

Supporting my election, Anne True (Chair, National Young Members Forum) said,

"Since meeting James I've been impressed with his
dedication and passion for UNISON and young members. He has really helped drive
the voice of young members as Vice Chair of our Forum. I'm confident James will
be an excellent voice for young members on the NEC."

Experience

• Vice Chair, National Young Members Forum (2006 - present)
• Chair, West Midlands Regional Young Members Forum (2006 - present)
• Young Members Officer/Steward, University Hospital Birmingham UNISON (2005 - present)
• President, University of Birmingham Guild of Students (2004 - 2005)
• Management Committee, British Youth Council (2003 - 2005)

I've got a strong record for standing up and delivering change, with your support we can achieve so much more for young members. For more see www.james4nec.blogspot.com

National Young Members Forum backs me for NEC Young Members Seat

UNISON's National Young Members Forum is made of of two reps from each region (elected by their regional young members) as well as the NEC Young Members Rep. In their meeting today, they decided to support my campaign for election and formally nominate me. This is obviously a great honour, and a real testiment to the strength of my candidacy.

National Young Members Forum reps all work hard in their regions to promote the place of young members and their endorsement means a lot. When most nominating is done by branches without as much input from Young Members themselves it's great to get support from Young Members themselves.