A £15/HR MINIMUM WAGE FOR ALL STAFF
END 100% FINAL EXAMS
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANY INCREASES TO TUITION FEES
ENDORSED BY JOHN MCDONELL MP
Hello! My name’s Harry. I’m a lawyer and union activist from East London. In this election, I’m the only left-wing candidate, and I’m running to be Oxford’s first progressive, campaigning Chancellor – standing on picket lines with staff fighting for fair pay, and shoulder to shoulder with student activists against fee increases and 100% final exams.
We can make this happen because this election is different! It’s the first time that thousands of alumni will be able to vote online. But it will be decided by a shockingly small number of votes.
Here’s what you can do:
Register to vote right now!! The registration deadline is this Sunday!
Remind all your friends/colleagues/groupchats to register and vote!
Vote for me as your first preference!
Number all the boxes – and PUT THE TORIES LAST!
ABOUT ME
I’m not a politician. I haven’t invaded any Middle Eastern countries; deported any of the Windrush generation; or plunged the UK into years of Brexit chaos and COVID disaster.
I’m a union and student activist who is dedicated to fighting for fair working conditions and against fee increases. I’ve helped support striking teaching staff; fought against pay deductions following strike action; and helped refound Unite’s Legal Workers Branch to fight against unpaid overtime and internships.
WHAT THE CHANCELLOR CAN DO
Oxford’s Chancellor speaks on behalf of our University. It’s largely been a sinecure for the past century. I want to change that by being the first campaigning Chancellor – using the biggest bully pulpit in the University to put pressure on the administration, and the government, to treat our staff and students fairly.
MY CAMPAIGNS
1. A £15/HR MINIMUM WAGE FOR ALL STAFF
University is one of the wealthiest institutions in history. But it is also one of the most unequal. An FT investigation found that almost 1,000 workers at the University were paid less than the Oxford Living Wage – some as little as £8.05 per hour. That is frankly obscene.
As Chancellor I will fight for a £15 per hr minimum wage for all staff, whether employed through the University, colleges, or subcontractors. I will call out the colleges and subcontractors who make excuses for not paying their staff properly, by name. Together, we can end the obscenity of one of the richest institutions in the world paying its own staff so little.
2. END 100% FINAL EXAMS
Oxford is in a mental health crisis. In 2021/2022, more than one in three students suffered from anxiety – five times the national average and twice the rate in 2018.
Reversing the effects of 14 years of Tory austerity will take time. But there is one measure we can take on Day 1 – end 100% final exams.
Nobody’s future should depend on their performance over a single week. That is not a fair way of assessing years of hard work. A year full of anxiety and depression does not need to be built into a degree. I will fight for the university to move to a more rational mode of assessment that fairly reflects students’ performance over their whole time at Oxford and does not lead to record high rates of anxiety in our community.
3. OPPOSE ANY INCREASES TO TUITION FEES
Massive upfront tuition fees deter students from attending university, and saddle graduates with tens of thousands of pounds of debt which more than half will never repay. And now, the 2024 tuition fee review is considering increasing the costs borne by students by as much as 18%. Peter Mandelson has already indicated his support for “an immediate uptick in fees”.
As Chancellor I will be an unequivocal voice against increases in tuition fees – using the bully pulpit, in the media, and on the picket lines with student activists. I will oppose any increases in student fees nationally and also push for Oxford to freeze its own fees, even if the nationwide fee cap goes up. Our university’s reputation as the best university in the world depends on making it accessible to the best and brightest, irrespective of means. Increases to tuition fees are an existential threat.
REMEMBER – This election will be decided by a shockingly small number of votes. Here’s what you can do to help us win!
Register to vote right now!! The registration deadline is this Sunday!
Remind all your friends/colleagues/groupchats to register and vote!
Vote for me as your first preference!
Number all the boxes – and PUT THE TORIES LAST!
If this sounds like your cup of tea, please get in touch at harry@harrystratton.com.
Thank you so much for reading!
Harry.
Website: www.harrystratton.com
Email: harry@harrystratton.com