Labour council pushes through Tory budget

On 19th October last year, amid an air of comradely bonhomie and a general feeling of a common cause, Welsh trade unionists sat in a committee room in Parliament and listened to Labour Party MPs declare that they would work closely with the unions to both fight the public sector cuts and defend working people and communities.

The following day, trade unions in Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council were called in to an emergency meeting to be told that the Labour led council was to issue a ‘Section 188 Notice’, with a view to dismissing over 10,000 staff and re-engaging on lesser terms and conditions.

The changes were proposed in the context of an anticipated budget shortfall of £60 million over the next three years (which turned out to be £45m). Three areas were to be considered to close the gap; efficiency savings, service provision and staff terms and conditions.

Fighting back in north Wales

No one active in the radical movement in Wales will now be unaware of the scale of the cuts proposed and being implemented by the ConDem coalition government, which they maintain are unavoidable due to the recession.

The cuts are already affecting public services from hospitals and schools to benefit and tax offices, public amenities from playgrounds to libraries.

Wales as always will be particularly hit as a very large number of people are employed in the public sector, and also rely on its services.