News and Analysis

By John Williams 750,000 people visited a food bank for the first time last year, an increase of 37%, according to the Trussell Trust, a UK food bank charity. It gave out nearly three million food parcels in 2022-23 and there’s no signs of this slowing down. However, according to Bank of England economist Huw Pill, we need to “accept” ...

By Dave Reid An important section of the workforce at Newport Passport Office have begun five weeks of strike action as part of action by 1,000 Passport Office workers nationally. Members of PCS, the civil service union, in the examination department at the office are taking action until May 5th to fight for a decent pay rise. The government has ...

On Saturday March 25th, hundreds of anti-fascist protesters gathered in Llantwit Major, opposing the far-right Patriotic Alternative who were spreading poisonous propaganda against Ukrainian refugees being housed in the area and had organised a ‘rally’ in Llantwit. Anti-fascists were made up of seasoned campaigners as well as workers from the community who didn’t want racist propaganda being spread around their ...

By NEU Cymru members NEU Cymru has called off strike action on March 15th/16th after a revised offer was received from the Welsh government. But many NEU Cymru members are unhappy with the new offer and the cancellation of industrial action yet again by the union leadership. This is the response of Socialist Party members of NEU Cymru: “The solid ...

By John Williams (Cardiff East Socialist Party) Labour-led Cardiff city council are attempting to push through the privatisation of St David’s Hall, (currently in public hands) to Live-Nation, quoting a maintenance backlog of £55m- which is actually more like £9m, according to the campaign organisers against the plans. They’ve refused to seek alternative funding streams, despite a signed letter from ...

Peniel Care Home in Carmarthenshire has declared that it is going into liquidation leaving residents and care workers high and dry. Carmarthenshire Unison branch has issued this statement: “Our members and other staff working at Peniel Care Home have been informed at short  notice that the care home, where in some cases they have worked for many years, is to ...

Across Wales, and much of England, ambulance workers in GMB and Unite are on strike only answering emergency calls. Anger is growing on the picket line against the UK Tory government’s refusal to even talk about a decent pay rise, but also at the Welsh Labour government that is keeping millions of pounds in reserves while refusing any further rise ...

The Welsh government have made new pay offers to NHS workers and school teachers. “Too little, too late” has been the overwhelming response from health and school workers. Welsh Ambulance Service workers and NEU members have voted decisively to reject the offer, and will all return to industrial action to force more money from the Welsh and UK governments. The ...

All out together on Budget Day! Tens of thousands of workers across Wales have struck today in the latest wave of strikes to coincide with the TUC protest the right to strike. NEU teachers, PCS members in the civil service, ASLEF train drivers and UCU university workers all came out today in a huge show of power by working people ...

Reports by Alec Thraves, Ross Saunders, Dave Reid 1000 workers in the Welsh Ambulance Service in Unite took strike action today in pursuit of a decent pay rise. Across Wales there were lively picket lines. Gwent Beacon House Cwmbran At every picket line workers were at pains to explain they did not want to strike, but had little option. Low ...