Labour Leadership Urged to Intervene Instead of Backslapping Each Other at their Annual Party Conference.
Pontypridd town centre was brought to a standstill today as hundreds of people joined a rally to oppose the cuts of the Labour-controlled Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.
The rally, organised by trade unions after some of the lowest paid workers in the local authority had their terms and conditions drastically downgraded, sent a clear message to RCT council and the Labour party who are in control at the authority.
As hundreds of workers marched from Ynysangharad Park and through the town to defend their jobs and their communities, the Labour Party leadership were in Llandudno at their annual conference in Wales.
Plaid Cymru’s candidate for the Rhondda constituency in May’s Welsh general election has called on Labour leaders Ed Milliband and Carwyn Jones to intervene in the matter. Sera Evans-Fear, a councillor for Treorci in the Rhondda, said Labour AMs and MPs failure to act would be tantamount to supporting the way the Labour council have attacked workers’ rights in the county.
Sera Evans-Fear said:
“Ed Milliband and Carwyn Jones were at the Welsh Labour annual conference while workers in RCT demonstrated against decisions taken by their party members.
“They must be asked whether they agree with the downgrading of workers’ terms and conditions in RCT?
“Are they really happy with a Labour council initiating lockouts; forcing workers to take a pay cut in an area which is blighted by low pay? What would they have to say if this was being done by a Tory council?
“My guess is that they would be outraged. I know from speaking to council workers that they are very angry about this issue.
“They feel badly let down by their Labour councillors and have had nothing but a wall of silence from their Labour AM and Labour MP.
“The Labour conference is taking place as far away from this rally as possible.
“Whatever the geographical distance, as party leaders, Ed Milliband and Carwyn Jones have to be held accountable for the actions of this Labour council in bullying their hard-working staff.”
Leanne Wood AM said:
“There was a very clear message sent out by the hundreds of people that took part in the rally today. The cuts should not be paid for by those on the lowest incomes who had no hand in the cause of this financial crisis.
“The cuts being imposed by this Labour-run council are unacceptable. Other councils in Wales have managed to balance their books without bulldozing through slashed pay and conditions.
“Elsewhere in Wales, councils have managed to keep council tax rises low, at 0% in some cases, while Labour in RCT is set to increase council tax by nearly 3%.
“How are council workers who are forced to take a £3,000 year pay cut meant to afford a council tax increase like this as well as the general rise in prices brought about by inflation and the rise in VAT?
“I have spoken to many workers who are not prepared to take this attack lying down and I fully support them.
“While Labour councillors were unsurprisingly nowhere to be found in Pontypridd today, there was a big contingent of Plaid members and supporters at the march to make it clear that we fully support the workers in this battle.”
