By Mark Evans (President Swansea Trades Union Council) An article in February’s Labour Research magazine, ‘How will new partnership law strengthen workers’ voice?’, highlights that some unions have hailed the new Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023 as “historic” and “momentous”. Wales Trades Union Congress (TUC) policy officer Nisreen Mansour said the new act “is a huge win” for ...
Read More »End bullying and anti-union attacks at Cardiff Labour council
By Jonathan Golding (Cardiff East Socialist Party) On 29 February, members of Cardiff Socialist Party and Trades Council joined workers from the waste management department and members of Unite the Union to lobby the council cabinet for the reinstatement of Tom Watkins, a Unite rep of 15 years. Tom had served for 33 years at Cardiff Council in the street ...
Read More »Port Talbot marches to save steelworks
Nationalisation Not Devastation! By Alec Thraves (Vice President, Swansea Socialist Party) Hundreds of steelworkers, trade unionists and Port Talbot residents marched through the town today to demand that Tata Steel steps back from its threat to sack 2,000 workers as it scales down the Tata plant at Port Talbot. Also today Newport workers marched to prevent job losses at the ...
Read More »Port Talbot steelworks – Nationalisation Not Devastation!
By Alec Thraves Tata Steel bosses have declared the start of a legally obliged, 45-day formal consultation process which could culminate in the initial loss of 2,423 jobs across the UK, with 1,929 of those in Port Talbot, representing exactly half the workforce. Tata’s phoney war is over after TV Narendran, the global chief executive of Tata Steel and the ...
Read More »Nationalise to save jobs and communities
By Alec Thraves, Swansea Trades Council It appears from reports, which will apparently be confirmed tomorrow, that our slogan on “No trust in Tata” has been tragically borne out by the imminent announcement that the two blast furnaces in Port Talbot will be shut down with potential job losses up to 3000 steel workers in the next period. This is ...
Read More »Welsh Junior Doctors Strike Against The Lowest Pay Rise In the UK
By Dave Reid Junior doctors went on strike at hospitals across Wales for three days January 15th -17th. At UHW hospital in Cardiff doctors chanted “Claps don’t pay the bills” on a very lively picket line. Hundreds of junior doctors attended the rally at the Senedd on the 2nd day of strike action. Some junior doctors earn just £13.65 an ...
Read More »Cardiff bin workers: Striking over pay and to defend the service
By John Williams, Cardiff Socialist Party After eleven weeks of action in the autumn of 2023, Cardiff Council workers in Unite are striking again, against the national local government (NJC) pay offer. Strike action by refuse and recycling workers started on 28 December and was due to end on 25 January, but is now extended until 22 February. The council ...
Read More »Swingeing cuts in latest Welsh government budget must be fought
What is the point of a Welsh Labour government if it merely passes on UK Tory cuts? By Dave Reid Happy New Year! – the Welsh government has put forward a devastating budget for public services in Wales for 2024. The figures are terrifying: £1.3 billion of cuts in real terms since 2021, even though Welsh Government ministers have said ...
Read More »No trust in Tata! – Save all jobs!
Nationalisation NOT Devastation! By Alec Thraves (Swansea Socialist Party & Vice President of Swansea Trades Council) In the run up to Xmas, Steel workers and residents remain on the edge of an economic and social precipice yet again! Tactical differences on how to respond to Tata’s threat of a jobs slaughter have emerged between the steel unions. The Community union and GMB ...
Read More »Cardiff workers still fighting a Labour council over pay
By Joe Fathallah Unite members at Cardiff Council are now taking their eleventh week of strike action, against a Labour-run authority, for a decent pay increase in line with the cost of living. The workers have decided to concentrate on picketing County Hall, where most of the council meetings take place, for maximum impact. I got into a discussion on ...
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