Heather Benbow – National Executive Ordinary Member, Melbourne Uni Branch

I’m proud to endorse Ruth Jelley for the NTEU Victorian Assistant Secretary (Professional Staff). A higher education worker with broad experience in the sector, Ruth has been hard-working and effective in this role over the past two years of growth in our union. She has campaigned alongside members to achieve strong outcomes in enterprise bargaining this past round. Ruth has deep experience as a higher education worker across three Victorian universities and in higher education publishing. She consults widely in the sector and listens to workers across the state. She works constructively with the division leadership team to progress change.

Ruth’s expertise and experience in the 'third space' of higher education work is especially critical at this time. Ruth has been at the forefront of efforts to foreground the industrial needs of 'third space' staff ever since being elected as NTEU National Vice-President (Professional Staff) in 2021. As convenor of the NTEU Third Space Working Group, she has been instrumental in raising the voices of third space staff, such as curriculum specialists, as a segment of our membership that has been crying out for stronger representation within our union. I know that Ruth will fight to ensure these staff get the recognition they deserve in our sector.

Ruth advocates for workers around psychosocial hazards, and appeared before the Victorian Parliament to defend compensation rights for workers who experience mental injuries.

Ruth is a strong voice for women workers, and has reactivated the Women’s Action Committee in Victoria, enabling important conversations about our issues, such as at the NTEU’s National Women’s Conference.

I encourage NTEU members to vote for Ruth to ensure the diverse voices of professional staff, women and third space workers are represented in the Victorian division at the highest level.