We’re United For VIC

Our candidates are workplace delegates, union activists, and everyday members who share one thing in common: a commitment to building a stronger union for you.

North Eastern Victoria

These are the delegates, members and activists who are standing up for UWU members across North Eastern Victoria. They come from your workplaces and your industries. They know the challenges you face because they face them too.

They're ready to fight for a union that wins for you, picks up the phone when you need help, and puts more money in your pocket.

Meet Your Team

Endorse Our Candidates

Diego Rengifo

Educator, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for five years. I work as an assistant educator at Pelican Craigieburn in early childhood education.
I first got involved with the union when I was working as a cleaner and was facing mistreatment from the cleaning company at that time.
After my career change to childcare, I switched to the childcare union group. Being a union member means being part of a group that is constantly seeking the wellbeing of workers, improving conditions every day, and making sure the importance of each job is recognised.
I'm an outgoing person who enjoys connecting with others, but I also value moments of quiet and balance. I stay active at the gym, and on weekends I like spending time with friends, often going out to restaurants. Music is a big part of my life, and I also love cooking.
The most important moment for me has been the wage negotiations that made a big difference for all educators, a real reward for all the effort and joint work in recognising such important work.
I'm standing for election to be an active part of this process of recognising our work as educators and to propose ideas for improvement for both workers and employers.
I want to be that voice that conveys the message about how decisions affect us in the classroom and in hiring, and to be a bridge between parents and the proper care of children in dignified conditions.
I want members to feel a stronger union presence in their centres, both as a body that protects workers' interests and as a support system.
I support the United For You ticket because it represents a team that truly listens to workers and is committed to building a stronger, more supportive union, focused on real solutions, inclusion, and making sure every voice is heard.

Alka Sarin

UWU Senior Organiser, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for 13 years. I currently work as a senior organiser in the ECEC team at the United Workers Union.
Before joining the union, I started working in the early childhood sector over six years ago. I worked in early childhood for six-plus years and the challenges educators face in their workplace brought me here. I joined the union for my peace of mind and security at work. From the start, I made it clear that this sector needs recognition and improved work conditions, which cannot be achieved without collective power and voice.
Being a union member means I feel safe, informed about my rights. I can share, educate, and advocate union values. I can empower members with information and how they can bring positive change in the sector by standing together
I am standing for election as a convention delegate to represent our members, to support United For You's vision to fight for better pay, safer conditions, and the respect your work deserves.
I want to ensure members' voices are heard, that they are respected and recognised as professionals, and that educators feel safe and supported at their workplace.
I strongly believe in United For You's vision of winning together, pulling every lever to deliver wins for our members.

Katia Bokhaazi

Aviation Protection Officer | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for 14 years and currently work at Melbourne Airport as 2IC at Checked Baggage Screening (CBS) with ISS. I bring 12 years of experience as a union delegate and health and safety representative, consistently advocating for fair conditions, safety, and respect in the workplace. I understand the challenges our members face and am committed to ensuring every voice is heard.
As a candidate, I will fight for stronger protections, better communication, and improved working conditions. I stand for integrity, transparency, and unity, and I am dedicated to representing members with strength, fairness, and accountability every day. That's why I'm supporting United For You. I want to make sure that our union wins continue.

Victoria Edge

UWU Organiser, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for four years. I currently work as an ECEC organiser with the United Workers Union, but before that I was an educator and a former ECEC delegate from 2022 to 2025.
I joined my union not because I had a terrible workplace. I had worked in the ECEC sector for two decades.
Being a union member means standing together so no one has to face workplace issues alone. It's about supporting each other to ensure everyone feels safe, valued, and respected at work. Most importantly, it means showing up for one another and knowing you have protection and support when it matters.
I've survived 40 brain surgeries and a sky dive. Anything is possible!
I'm standing for election because I believe our members deserve strong, transparent leadership that shows up every day and fights for better pay and conditions, doing what it takes to win.
I don't forget where I came from. I was an educator and I am a member. I want to make sure every member's voice is heard and that no one from any industry is left behind.
My focus is on strengthening unity, improving pay and conditions, and ensuring members always have strong support and representation. Members are always at the centre of everything I do. I am a people person and I genuinely care and will do whatever it takes for our members.
I'm supporting the United For You ticket because my personal and professional values align. We need an inclusive union that will actually deliver wins and will be there for our members when they need it. United For You is focused on bringing members together, not dividing them.

Pallavi Rawat

Educator, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member since June 2024. I work at Kids Academy Waratah Estate as an early childhood teacher and serve as a centre delegate. I joined the union because, as someone who had just moved to Australia from New Zealand, I wanted to clearly understand my rights as a worker.
Being a union member means collective power, the power to protect, advocate, and create real change. Outside of work, I'm a proud mum to two wonderful children aged six and eight, and together with my husband we are a close-knit family of four. We love going on road trips and creating special memories.
I'm a creative person at heart. I enjoy painting, dancing, and cooking, which for me is a way of bringing everyone together.
I'm standing for election because I believe leadership should reflect commitment, integrity, and proven action.
I want to support the United For You because they have the track record of creating real change, and I want to protect the progress we've made.
This term, I want to push for continued wage growth that genuinely reflects the professionalism and intensity of the work educators do every day.
Now that under-the-roofline ratios have been banned, our focus must shift to the next critical issue, educator isolation. Even with ratio changes, educators can still be left working alone, which creates safety risks, emotional strain, and professional vulnerability.
I'm supporting the United For You ticket because they have a proven track record of action, dedication, and real results for our members. This is a team that doesn't just make promises, they deliver meaningful change.

Raman Kumari

Educator, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I re-joined the UWU in 2021. I work at Green Leaves Early Learning Highlands as an educational leader and early childhood teacher, and I serve as a delegate.
I joined a union because I wanted to feel empowered in my workplace and to better understand my rights and responsibilities as an employee. Being part of a union also helps me stay informed, seek guidance when needed, and feel supported in maintaining fair and safe working conditions.
Being a union member means having the support of delegates who guide me in the right direction and help me understand my workplace rights.
I'm standing for election because I have experienced the strong support of our union.
I want to continue supporting educators by advocating for quality education through better child-to-educator ratios, reduced paperwork, and fair pay that reflects the important work educators do. I also hope to encourage members to speak up about their concerns and help create a safe, respectful, and supportive working environment for everyone.
I'm supporting the United For You ticket because the team focuses on practical solutions, is approachable, and genuinely listens to members.

Ramiz Almokhtar

Aviation Protection Officer | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for four years and work at Melbourne Airport as an Aviation Protection Officer. I serve as a delegate, a role I've held for the past two years.
I am an Iraqi Christian originally from Mosul and have been living in Australia for the past 10 years. Throughout my time at Melbourne Airport and within the union, I have shown a strong commitment to supporting both passengers and colleagues.
I regularly assist passengers who face language barriers by providing translation services in English, Arabic, Chaldean, and Assyrian, making sure they feel supported and understood.
I also actively support my colleagues by addressing workplace concerns, providing guidance, and helping resolve issues.
My experience as a union member and delegate has given me valuable insight into the challenges faced in the workplace and the critical role unions play in advocating for workers.
I have seen firsthand how important it is for members to have access to guidance, representation, and support.
I strongly believe that the strength of any union lies in its membership. Without the active support and engagement of members, a union cannot effectively advocate for fairness, justice, and improved working conditions. That is why I stand with United For You and encourage all members to support them, because every worker deserves better.

Chauntelle Keane

Centre Manager, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for 19 years. I work as a centre manager and nominated supervisor at Aspire Early Learning and Kindergarten, Smiths Lane, in early childhood education and care. I have extensive experience in leadership, compliance, and supporting high-quality outcomes for children, families, and educators. I first joined the union because I recognised the importance of having support and protection in a demanding sector.
Being a union member means standing together to create better conditions for everyone. It's about having a voice, being supported, and knowing there is a system in place to ensure fairness and accountability. It also means contributing to a profession where educators are valued and respected.
Outside of work, I value spending time with my family and being present in my community. I enjoy creating meaningful experiences for children through cooking, storytelling, and gardening, especially connecting children to food and nature.
I'm standing as a convention delegate because I bring both frontline and leadership experience in early childhood education. I understand the complexities of running a service while also supporting staff wellbeing and compliance. I want to represent members by advocating for realistic expectations, stronger support systems, and improved working conditions.
I support the United For You ticket because it reflects a commitment to genuine representation, transparency, and meaningful change. I align with a team that prioritises member voice, practical solutions, and improved conditions across the sector in ways that create long-term impact.

Binoj John

Aviation Protection Officer | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for four years and work at Melbourne Airport as an Aviation Protection Officer. I serve as a workplace delegate. I have always valued looking after my community, and when I came to Australia I made sure I was involved in unions. Every day as a delegate, I work to make sure our members are treated fairly and that new workers become part of our union. That work has made us powerful.
I support the United For You team because they know how to make workers powerful, and that means employers can't get away with disrespecting workers.

Sheldon Oski

UWU Lead Industrial Officer | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for seven years. I currently work as a Lead Industrial Officer with the United Workers Union.
I first joined the union because I believe that together, as a collective, we are more powerful than as separate individuals, and workers need power to bring about positive change to our workplaces and the broader world.
Being a union member is fundamental to my beliefs. I believe in collective action and working together to ensure everyone is lifted up, not just the select few.
I am a union lawyer, and I know the Fair Work Act back to front. I love the law, but I know its limitations. It can sometimes help us win for members, but other times it does not, and that is why it is vitally important we have a union that is prepared to use all tools in its arsenal to achieve change.
Outside of work, I follow the Geelong Cats in the AFL and AFLW, and the Melbourne Victory in the A-Leagues. I spend my time with my wife, my three-year-old daughter, and my pet greyhound Homer.
I was very fortunate in my role at the union to play a part in bargaining for the Early Childhood Education and Care Multi-Employer Agreement in 2024. This was a landmark agreement that delivered a much-deserved 15% wage increase to 523 services and over 45,000 early childhood educators across Australia. That would simply not have been possible without the work and advocacy by the union and its members over many years, and it demonstrates what this union can achieve.
I'm standing for election because I believe strongly in what the union does and stands for. I want to make sure this union continues to be innovative and use all the levers at its disposal to deliver for members, rather than confining itself to one way of doing things.
I want to see an end to in-fighting and a focus on working together and delivering for members. I want to see the union grow over the next four years, and I want to continue as a union lawyer fighting for our members using every legal tool at our disposal.
I'm supporting United For You because I believe in a union that uses every lever to get results for its members, whether that be by taking industrial action, commencing legal proceedings, or lobbying government. United For You is always prepared to do everything that is needed to get the best possible outcome for members.

Taylor Tomeo

Educator, ECEC | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for seven years. I work as a lead educator at Community Kids Sunbury in early childhood education and care, and I serve as a workplace delegate.
I joined the union because I felt unsupported in my workplace and there was potentially going to be an issue. Being a union member means I have a voice. I can speak up for change for myself and my colleagues.
I'm family-oriented and fun. I love to shop, always looking for a bargain. I also ran a half-marathon before I turned 30, and I'm a qualified scuba diver.
We had a collective issue with our centre director, and a union organiser visited our centre and supported us in creating a plan to resolve it.
Being union members, we were also successful in securing a 15% pay increase. That meant different things to many people, but for me as a new mum, the financial pressure was eased.
I'm standing for election because I feel I have a strong voice to stand up and protect our wins in ECEC and advocate for further changes for our members. We haven't finished our fight yet, and I want to continue making change for better pay and conditions.
My values align with those of United For You. Our members are our union, and United For You are always there for all members regardless of their industry.

Reyhan Doganer

Aviation Protection Officer | North Eastern Victoria

I've been a UWU member for seven years. I work as a lead educator at Community Kids Sunbury in early childhood education and care, and I serve as a workplace delegate.
I joined the union because I felt unsupported in my workplace and there was potentially going to be an issue. Being a union member means I have a voice. I can speak up for change for myself and my colleagues.
I'm family-oriented and fun. I love to shop, always looking for a bargain. I also ran a half-marathon before I turned 30, and I'm a qualified scuba diver.
We had a collective issue with our centre director, and a union organiser visited our centre and supported us in creating a plan to resolve it.
Being union members, we were also successful in securing a 15% pay increase. That meant different things to many people, but for me as a new mum, the financial pressure was eased.
I'm standing for election because I feel I have a strong voice to stand up and protect our wins in ECEC and advocate for further changes for our members. We haven't finished our fight yet, and I want to continue making change for better pay and conditions.
My values align with those of United For You. Our members are our union, and United For You are always there for all members regardless of their industry.

Stand with us. Endorse United For You in Victoria.

Our candidates are ready to work for you. Now we need you standing with us.

By endorsing United For You, you're showing your support for a union that delivers real results. Higher wages. Better conditions. Support when you need it. No fee increases.

This is your union. Back the team that's backing you.

Add your name to endorse United For You in Victoria.