As Westminster attacks the laws made by our Senedd, and Welsh Labour tries to paper over the cracks with angry letters, there is a simple solution that will defend of democracy. Luke Fletcher MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson on the economy, writes about the need for the people of Wales to be able to decide on the future of their country.
This week the UK Government, without a word to Welsh Government, marked their intention to repeal the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 passed by our Senedd. Amongst other things, the Act prohibits devolved Welsh public bodies from using agency workers to provide cover during industrial action. Without this in place, the rights of our workers are severely undermined.
The timing is telling – it came within days of RMT rail workers taking industrial action over jobs, pay and conditions, and in the same week that other Unions started balloting their members, signalling their intention that they, too, may strike in the near future. Against the backdrop of a so called “Summer of Discontent”, the UK government’s answer was to show contempt not just for workers, not just for Wales, but for our democracy as well.
