Biography

I worked for the printing unions for 26 years, initially in a research role and from 1997-2005 as Equality Policy Adviser.  In research I was responsible for supporting all national negotiations in the printing, paper and publishing sectors with employers’ associations, most notably, the British Printing Industries Federation.  I also supported negotiations at enterprise and plant level where required.  Beyond these duties, I was required to respond to a wide variety of research requests at short notice; undertake speech writing, articles for trade journals, submissions to government consultation exercises and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission inquiries.  In addition I supported trade union training for both union members and international sister unions.

In the latter role, I was responsible for all equalities, developing and implementation of policies, training for groups of under-represented members, political lobbying on equality issues, developing internal networks for groups generally absent from mainstream structures.  In addition, I moved from supporting negotiations to being a negotiator on equality issues both nationally and at enterprise and plant level.  I presented at and facilitated many conferences during this period.  I also gave evidence to the government select committee investigation into gender discrimination and to the Women and Work Commission.  This work informed my choice of PhD subject: women and pay in the printing industry, completed in 2007.  Both my Master’s degree and my PhD were taken at Keele.

As an academic from 2005 onwards, I have taught at the University of Westminster and Ruskin College, Oxford before coming to Keele University in 2012.  I have taught Human Resource Management, Employment/Industrial Relations and International Labour Relations to both undergraduate and post-graduate students.

My research interests lie in employment, pay and gender.  I have presented at many conferences including, International Labour Process Conference; British Universities Industrial Relations Association Conference; Work, Employment and Society Conference; Working Lives Conference;  Gender, Work and Organisation Conference, as well as numerous workshops – the most recent as part of a European-funded project on bullying at work.

I am an Academic Assoc. CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development).

Research and scholarship

I have recently completed a two-year project funded by the EU Leonardo Fund, along with colleagues from Norway, France, Lithuania, Hungary and Spain on the prevention of bullying in SMEs.

I am currently in discussions about research into gender and pay during a time of austerity with a major trade union partner.