unison - a thankyou from chad
The following item is in recognition of all the support given to us by UNISON (The Public Sector Workers Union) since the birth of this cause exactly one year ago. So much has been achieved in such a short time.For those of you who have read the account of how I became involved with this incredible cause, you may have noticed that I have had the full support of my Branch, Cardiff & the Vale Health. In the first instance, when I approached them in the week following the PANORAMA episode, it was agreed to donate £5000 to provide drugs and anything else which could be used immediately. Since then my colleagues have seen me through the emotional highs of reporting the lives saved, to the low of having to cancel the planned visit in April.
I will never be able to thank every one of them enough. They tell me that they don’t want or need thanks, but they will never know what they have done for me personally. There are particular individuals to whom I am grateful, without naming them; they know who they are.
UNISON is the largest union representing public workers in the UK, with 1.3million members. The union’s membership covers health, local government, police support staff, higher education and many, many more. The largest majority of members are women, who for obvious reasons are particularly attuned to issues which affect women. The fact that the union has taken this cause to its’ heart is all the more significant because there is no link to union issues. The truth is that in Chad, there are no unions. In fact as we were told, the staff of the hospital don’t know from one month to the next whether or not they are going to be paid!
From the moment that it was decided that I was going to Chad, word filtered through to surrounding branches, mention was made at conferences and an E mail was sent by Paul O’Shea, our Regional Secretary, to every Branch in Wales. I contacted the team which produces the National Magazine called “U” where I was given space under the title of “From Cardiff to Chad.” In September, I attended the National TUC Conference in Brighton, where I met colleagues from England who had read the item and promised to go back to their branches and arrange donations for our fund. The response has been incredible.
I have travelled to Sheffield to speak to the Health Branch, having been invited by John Campbell, their Branch Secretary when he sent a donation.
I attended a meeting of the Gwent Healthcare Branch. They were particularly generous as they had sent a donation right at the start of my venture and following my visit, they sent a further generous donation.
Further donations have come from Wrexham Branch, Caerphilly Branch who also gave me some UNISON tee-shirts to take with me to Chad.
In March, I attended UNISON’s Regional Women’s Committee in Mid-Wales to give my power point presentation and received further donations.
Stan Rupa, the Deputy Regional Secretary has been assisting me with his invaluable advice, based on years of tireless efforts to provide equipment to Cuba. As I have learned in the past year, undertaking work such as this is not without problems, mostly political. Stan has on many occasions, given me some of his precious time for which I am eternally grateful. He has also secured a donation from the Regional Fund which I am hoping will be used to purchase a specific piece of equipment and on which I can, when I go next, place something on as an acknowledgement.
Last month I was contacted by Norman Wilson who is the Branch Secretary of Nottingham Health Branch. He told me of how he had been looking through the union’s website looking for a good story for his newsletter, when he happened on our story. As I spoke to Norman, I was moved by how he spoke of his and his Branch’s pride at what my Branch and I had achieved. He pledged support for us and I in turn offered to come to Nottingham later in the year to speak to them.
Pippa Zintilis, my midwife friend and colleague who came to Chad with me, joined UNISON when she saw the support I received from the start. Even better news, one of our small team of Grace Kodindo supporters admitted to me that he had never been a fan of unions, until now! He is very impressed by the positive response from everyone.
As I write this, I am less than 48hrs from returning from Bournemouth where we held our National Delegate Conference, with 2000-3000 in attendance. Karen Phillips of the Regional Women’s Committee managed to get our Chad story onto the front page of the daily bulletin on the last day; perhaps the one day on which there is a good chance that people will take their bulletins home with them.
The day on which I am writing this item for the web-page is also significant as it is exactly one year tonight that I watched the PANORAMA programme which changed my life. By the date, it is a year ago tomorrow.. my daughter’s 35th birthday! As I sat and watched the programme a year ago, the obvious chasm in the healthcare provision between Chad and the UK moved me to tears. My own grandmother had died in childbirth nearly 100yrs ago leaving seven children. My father was just three years old.
I am currently writing a book on the whole experience and intend that when the expenses of getting the book published are recouped, Grace’s cause will benefit from every book sold. I will keep everyone up to date on when it is hopefully going to be published.
In conclusion, I would like to repeat my thanks to everyone in UNISON who has helped me in any way, big or small. I think in this small way, we have helped to turn around the popular negative view of unions to something positive and successful. I am so glad that I joined you four years ago from the RCN. You have everyone’s best interests at heart, whether at home or abroad, in other words wherever justice is being abused.
ANGELA GORMAN 25TH JUNE 2006 - UNISON Article