Greetings to all Members
My name is Jane Doolan. I am Branch Secretary of the Islington Local Government Branch.
I have been an activist for 35 years and have held a number of positions within my Branch.
I was also the Staffside Secretary and Joint Trade Union Convenor.
As a woman parent and carer, I have seen the impact of the Government's austerity measures on the quality of life of all members and in particular women members.
UNISON is made up of 78% women members- many of whom are part time and low paid- and I see first hand, the day to day difficulties that they face. A lot of these women work in schools, often paid very poorly and not always treated very well, meaning some may have to do two or three different jobs to try to make ends meet.
I have a wealth of experience that I want to share with colleagues at local, regional and national level.
I was born in London of Irish immigrant parents and I have lived in London and the Republic of Ireland.
I have two teenage daughters and live in Hackney which is one of the most diverse boroughs and possibly one of the poorest in the country.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.
In Solidarity
Jane
I was delighted to see that Jane Doolan is running NEC seat .
ReplyDeleteIf there's anyone that can make a positive impact , and have the voice of members heard its jane .
I say this in my humble opinion as a member who has experienced and witnessed at first hand the level of dedication , preparation , time , research , empathy and sheer determination that goes in to ensure members rights are observed and their voices heard.
Sadly this hasn't been the case in my issue , but that's not because of the level of support or representation , but my employers policies , lack of transparency , adherence to policy and fairness.
My struggle started four years ago and sadly still continues .
It's easy to say all unions do is strike !
Reps are only doing their jobs !
Then clearly your not a member of unison Islington.
I can honestly say without the support of family and friends and all at Islington unison I would not be here today.
The actions taken by my employer to date have caused severe depression and anxiety .
In December a servers mental Heath breakdown and an attempt to take my own life.
What everyone else didn't or doesn't see is the reassuring look , or squeeze of the arm when all around is difficult to cope with .
They don't see the thoughtful acts of kindness from the branch that really do make a difference.
With diligence , determination , a wealth of knowledge and recourses jane Doolan has and continues to fight or the right and just outcome.
It doesn't matter if it's one member or 1000 the same level of care and consideration is there giving a voice to wrongdoing and concerns , regardless of sector or pay scale.
If this is what you can expect at local level them I'm resolute in believing that if jane is elected positive change for all matters concerning member will come about .
I'm proud to be an Islington unison member , I'm honoured to have jane as my rep and privileged to call her a friend.
Keep up the great work and good luck .