Philippe de Saint-Seine

Dear ~20 people who will read this.

I'm Philippe, coming into my 2nd Year of PhD in Physics.

Why do I care?

Postgrad life is almost entirely shaped by our individual research group's life. We are teated like staff, but are nominally considered students. So why bother with the student's Union Council?

1. The Council can lobby the College to improve Teaching Assistant workers' agreements.

The Workers' Rights Bill* will soon become law, which will (eventually) force the College to present GTAs with non-casual contracts (what we have isn't a "contract", they're "agreements"**). We need a College-wide discussion to lobby the College to prepare for the new law's implementation & to improve the current GTA structure for everyone involved. I would work with Council and UCU to lobby College for this.

2. Continue lobbying Government for A. an increase in the STFC London stipend bonus, B. an increase in the PhD stipend.

I mean, who can afford rent in London with £22,780 per year?! I can't promise results, but I promise I'd visit Rachel Blake MP (the College's local MP) and my local MP at their surgeries.

I think that's as far as this specific position can go + vote on Union Council votes***.

xoxo, Philippe

*https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3737#timeline

**https://www.acas.org.uk/employment-status/worker-employment-status

***https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/your-union/how-were-run/committees/25-26/Union_Council