Andrea Egan made her first speech as UNISON’s new general secretary at the union’s Higher Education (HE) conference in Brighton today (Thursday) focussing on pay and the funding crisis that is threatening the sector. “Universities are well known for paying senior managers a small fortune, whilst some of our members are so poorly paid,” she said. “Our cleaners, security officers, hospitality workers, porters and caretakers keep universities functioning and we’ll fight together for justice for all. UNISON has a long-standing policy of supporting publicly funded education at all levels and we’re opposed to all tuition fees. “Together we will continue to campaign for the idea that education is valued and should be available to all, for all ages and at all levels.”